How long have you been playing hockey?

- I've been playing for twelve years.


How did you get started playing hockey?

- I've ice staked since I was a toddler on double-bladed skates, but hockey wasn't popular in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (where I grew up) when I was a kid - at least, not for girls. Milwaukee was home to an Olympic speedskating training center, so I got the chance to skate on the same ice as Eric Heiden, Bonnie Blair, and Dan Jansen, but I don't remember ever seeing hockey players until just before I moved away.

I got interested in hockey watching the American women beat Canada to take the first gold medal in women's Olympic hockey in 1998. It looked like so much fun and I was impressed by the athleticism of the skaters. Even though there's no checking in women's hockey, it was a much more physical game that you typically see female athletes play.


What first brought you to The Rink Exchange?

- I really missed skating after I moved to Eugene, and I was looking for something to do in the winter to stay active. I was curious about hockey, but I was a little intimidated about getting started, especially since I'd never played team sports before. Then, I saw a story in the paper about the adult hockey league at the rink, and one of the skaters who was interviewed commented on how much fun the game was and how friendly the teams were to new skaters, even those who were just learning to skate. He said that he was not a great skater, but that he had become something of a commodity in the league because he'd learned to skate backwards. "Well," I thought, "I can skate backwards!" Shortly thereafter, I signed up for the Learn to Play Class at the rink. I was immediately hooked. I signed up for my first season of league, and I've played almost every season since!

How long have you been playing hockey? 

- I have been playing hockey for 22 years.


How did you get your start playing hockey? 

- I started playing street hockey when I got my first set of roller blades on my 6th birthday. A friend down the street had a street hockey stick, so I got one to play with him. That started a neighborhood-wide culture where all the kids started playing street hockey. We would do yard work and other chores around the neighborhood to raise money for nets, equipment, and jerseys. Then, we started playing nearby neighborhoods in street hockey games. At age 9, I joined my first organized league. After my first season, I was asked to come tryout for the league's All-Star team. I made the team, and I haven't stopped playing since!

I grew up in Portland, Oregon. After high school, I came down to Eugene to attend Lane Community College. I then transferred to the University of Oregon and played on the hockey team there. During the offseason, I would play in the local adult league here in Eugene.