One of of my absolute favorite involvements at USC is Women’s Club Ice Hockey. I have been on the team since my freshman year and currently I’m serving as the captain of the team!
First hockey practice was definitely a success! Newbies all seemed to have a great time, can’t wait for this season. #wice #ViterbiPlus
— Kelly Lynch (@KellyLynchUSC) September 18, 2014
I have been playing hockey since I was five years old, so it is a very important part of who I am. I knew for college I wanted to attend a school where I could still play ice hockey and receive an engineering degree from a stellar university. USC, surprisingly, was the perfect place for me to do this! I can be on a club team and practice twice a week, yet still have plenty of time to pursue engineering and be involved in a bunch of engineering organizations!
#TBT to a young me meeting an USA Olympic Hockey Player!
Hockey has always been an escape for me since I was little. Being able to get on the ice and play my favorite sport allows me to forget about any problems or stress that I might be experiencing. This is especially great in college because going to hockey twice a week is a refreshing break from the rigor of school. We practice on the ice on Wednesday nights and off ice on Monday nights, and every week I always look forward to hockey. Wednesday night practice is definitely the highlight of my week – nothing makes me happier than getting on the ice!
Ellen is on the team with me!
Our team is actually the only women’s collegiate hockey program in the entire state of California! Because of this fact we encourage anyone and everyone to join our team. Our team has a wide variety of skill levels; some girls like myself have been playing their whole lives whereas other girls start playing (and even skating!) for the first time when they join our team! We teach anyone that is new how to skate and have tons of gear so that anyone who wants to play for the season can.
Action shot during a game!
Besides playing hockey, I also love being on the team because I have gotten to meet a bunch of great girls I never otherwise would have had the opportunity to meet. Our team consists of a variety of grades, majors, and backgrounds so it is really cool to all come together and play hockey. I view my hockey team as a family, which is a great support system to have in college. We also really enjoy hanging out outside of the rink. We have team events were we might go watch the men’s team play, go to a Kings game, have a team dinner, or go to Yogurtland
The highlight of our season is a big tournament in the spring where we travel out of state. The past two years we have travelled to Las Vegas to play against other women’s teams! The hockey tournament is definitely one of my favorite weekends of the entire year because I have so much fun getting to know everyone on the team. Besides playing 4 games, we get to explore Vegas as well. We normally spend a lot of time at the pool, and the last night of the weekend we have a big team dinner where we reflect on the season and say goodbye to our seniors.
Our team dinner in Vegas last year!
It has been great leading the team this year as the captain. I’m already looking forward to the tournament in the spring! If you might be interested in learning about ice hockey be sure to check out our Facebook page here!
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