Vancouver 2010: 2012

Received a Breaking Barriers award at the State Capitol today; didn't do a very good job just blending into the boards on this one. Was a little nervous going into this as my stand-by suits won't clasp on my growing belly so had to get a new pair of pants to wear! Nothing like taking the ice in your old broken in equipment; there is no safety/comfort feeling standing on a stage if it is not made of ice:)

Thanks so much to Cory, Mom, Dad, Katie, Ava, Nancy, Bernie, Candy, Tom and Margaret for taking the time off work, Ava skipping school, and coming out to support me!

I realized by hearing these women's stories that they are not the women the world would like to label as "women's lib" or "extremists" they just wanted to play the sport and were denied the opportunity. The whole thing made me think back to HS in my senior year we split from Anoka and only had a few players (4) returning. I recruited all summer and fall and we had 36 players on the ice for captain's practice that had all paid their fees and had their waivers signed. I had meetings 2-3 times a week with the Champlin AD and told him we would have a team, provided him with updates and told him what we would need. Come the first practice we did not have ice time; they had given it all to the boys team. The AD had also not ordered equipment for us and the few left over items were were offered were XXL and larger; the left over boys equipment. Going back to the Alumni game this year I remember talking to some of the girls HS players it felt like a "real hockey team" but I couldn't explain what that meant. The experience on Wed helped me to understand a little more what that feeling was and what was lacking when we just wanted some ice time to play.

The quote of the day for me was:

"In only one generation girls went from wanting a team to play on to wanting to make the team".

The even made it on the news and on a few sites:

http://www.ngwsd-mn.com/2011-Event.html

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/959750/391/Female-athletes-celebrated-at-Capitol

http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/013012aaa.html

http://www.ngwsd-mn.com/

NGWSD Press Release 2012.indd

Thought he may show up... did not get the opportunity to talk to him...