“I’d never have suspected you to definitely 7 years once i put back at my basic collection of hockey skates, I would personally be revealing an Airbnb in Las vegas with five women I did not know…and that i will love they, have really fun and you can been near to effective a tournament,” she says.
Kim grew up in Pittsburgh just like the good rink rodent, enjoying throughout the sidelines as the woman sis starred hockey. The sport was not an option for girls back then. She partnered a beneficial Canadian son whom starred hockey, and so they elevated its kid, Mason, playing, too.
I had met Kim, a scientist during the Federal Schools away from Fitness whom stays in Rockville, when we both started to try out hockey inside 2015 towards Hockey Mom right after which registered this new Arizona Whalers
Since females, we were in the minority for the coed Whalers group. We’d sons nearly a comparable years who were travelling hockey participants. The two of us struggled with crossovers (an excellent skating approach), skating backwards, and making use of the brand new chat rooms to your virtue. Our very own commonalities provided us brand new courage to share https://datingmentor.org/escort/lowell/ our very own inquiries and you will insecurities, and assistance each other with each improve.
Reflecting for her most readily useful moments because the a good Travelin’ People Puck, Kim recalls a key gamble in the a good DMV event in the 2021 in the Laurel: “I was the newest poor pro towards the people, so we got a-one-earn, one-losings list. We were off of the you to mission within our latest video game, however, I happened to be able to connect good rebound back at my stick and rating in order to link the video game, and therefore got us towards semifinals.
Inside ent, my personal cell phone started to shake nonstop. Molly got launched a visit to Reykjavik, Iceland, for the Icelandic Invitational, a meeting you to definitely servers competitions for men’s room and ladies teams, as well as the Travelin’ Team Pucks’ Myspace classification illuminated. Issues and you will excited statements including “Yes, number me Inside the!” inundated my personal provide. Women throughout the world noticed the blog post and you will need to join the group; contained in this 2 days, more than 31 got authorized to try out.
Then males-the new husbands, boyfriends and teammates of your own Travelin’ Party Pucks-come inquiring if the Molly create plan out a team so they can enjoy from inside the Iceland, as well. Molly concurred, as well as the men’s edition of one’s Travelin’ Party Pucks came into this world.
On Sept. twenty eight, we arrived during the Reykjavik having 32 professionals fighting on ladies tournament and you may twenty six on the men’s room enjoy. I fielded five communities and our own cheerleaders: sixteen Travelin’ People Pucks groupies comprised of friends and family came along.
The brand new Travelin’ Party Puck communities didn’t winnings with this tournament-hard-fought, aggressive games finished inside links or losses. But Iceland seriously affected all of us. There were one or two proposals with the journey, that toward the base out of a waterfall plus one in front of the hitting chapel inside downtown Reykjavik, the fresh Hallgrimskirkja. And because some other party, Island, was short participants during the a number of game and invited the fresh new Team Pucks to tackle to their squad, We joined them due to their final game resistant to the BC Beauts, where Island acquired step three-step 1. I found myself for the freeze for a couple of of those wants and you can discussed giving centering entry since a left-wing. Despite it becoming my third video game you to definitely day, We skated my hardest and you can fastest, seeking match the players, who averaged 15 years more youthful than simply ours. We played with “Murphy,” a 29-year-dated Icelander who plays into the country’s federal women’s ice hockey team. Immediately after a shift, she patted myself on the back and said, “You are a beneficial,” an accompany I am able to remember.
She would gone to Iceland ahead of and you can cherished it; this time, she is actually looking forward to viewing they in the a new ways
It was my personal third competition towards Travelin’ Team Pucks. My very first game towards people is at a great Hockey Fights MS event into the Hershey, Pennsylvania, in may. And here I fulfilled Sabrina Woods, forty-five, certainly one of my teammates from inside the Iceland. She stays in Alexandria, Virginia, works for new Federal Transport Security Board and you can previously served inside the the brand new U.S. Sky Push.