Uh, yeah… Girls DO Play Ice Hockey
I was raised in a very non-athletic family. Not only that, I also seem to have inherited the clumsy gene. Perhaps it’s because of this gene, which has a detrimental effect on gross motor coordination, that my parents and other family members prefer reading over athletics.
Somewhere, somehow a mutation occurred, and I developed this desire to want to participate in sports. I was always a rough houser tomboy who didn’t mind getting covered head to toe in mud, building tree forts, and playing with toy guns. But due to severe lack in athletic ability (I still can’t throw a ball to save my life) my dream of playing a team sport didn’t come to fruition until I was in the 10th grade. I was the kid that always got picked last in gym class, unless by some miracle, there was a special ed kid placed in my class. Then, and only then, did I get to avoid the total humiliation of being picked last.
Believe it or not, the above statement was one of the reasons I decided to play ice hockey back in 1982. There were no other girls playing the sport, so by default, I could be the “best” at something.
My parents had just divorced, I was living with my mom, and as a gift to ourselves, we (me and mom) decided to start our new lives by doing something we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do had we still been married to my father. I remember my mom saying to me, “you can have one thing,” as we were now on a single income. I told her, “I wanna play hockey.” I don’t exactly know what my mom was expecting me to say, but I think she was a little… um… perplexed I guess is a good word. I mean, where do you start? Girls didn’t play hockey. Where do you go? How do you sign up? How much does it cost? What equipment is needed?
Since I was old enough (15) to do it on my own, my mom told me, “if you want to play hockey, you’re going to have to get the information.” First step was to enlist the assistance of my grandparents. My Grandpa had only daughters and granddaughters, so when I made my announcement, he was more than happy to drive me around town to get equipment and pick me up from school to go to skate-n-shoot 2 to 3 days a week. Also with the help of (my older, 1st cousin once removed) Fred, who also played hockey, I was given the contacts and info to local rinks and hockey supply stores.
PLAYING WITH THE BOYS
In the Spring of ‘83, I played organized hockey for the first time in the Spring House League at Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga. I was the only girl in a 7-team bantam division, which by the way, is full checking. Due to my size and (lack of) ability, I was able to play in the SHL for 5 summers - passing myself off as a 16 year old every year I signed up. The rink folks knew how old I was, but out of sympathy I think, and a lack of opportunities for girls to play, they let me sign up for bantams year after year. Finally in my last year, I was evaluated and graded as an A-line defenceman.
THE PHONE CALL
It was September 1983 that I experienced my first dose of hockey sexism from an administrator. I was looking for a place to play winter hockey, so I call my local municipal ice rink (Hamburg Nike Base) and spoke to the guy in charge of the amateur hockey association. I explained to him my situation, that I was a 5 foot 3 inch beginner player who had played at the bantam level in the SHL, and I asked if I could play bantams in the Hamburg house league. He said, “we don’t allow players to drop down an age group, and besides, we don’t have any other girls playing in our organization.” It was the tone of voice that added the bite to his statement. I wanted to cry. Where else was there for me to play?
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Well, not really, but a team will do. On the bulletin board at Holiday Twins Rinks there was a “players wanted” flyer for a start up team in the Buffalo Hornets organization. I called, my grandparents drove, and the rest is history. In the fall of 1983, I signed up to play on an all-girls hockey team. I played with the Hornets for 2 seasons before defecting over to the Tonawanda Bobcats in 1985.
To Be Continued…
Tags: buffalo hornets, cheektowaga, girls hockey, holiday twin rinks, Women's Ice Hockey
