47/365
It is fun to see how far girls hockey has come. A little over five-years ago I wrote a feature story about girls hockey. At the time it was not a sanctioned sport by the Maine Principals Association. Now, for the third year, it is.
My old story (I hate my old stories) was written for Current Publishing and appeared in their chain or weekly papers, the American Journal, Current, Sun Chronicle, Lakes Region Weekly, Reporter and Weekly Observer. With the power of google, I found it. Here it is (sorry, it's kind of long):
January 11, 2007
Salchows to slapshots, girls hockey growing
By Keith B. Wehmeyer
When Ashley Potvin first put on skates they were of the figure skating variety, but at seven, to the chagrin of her mother, she began switching to hockey.
Now as a senior at Biddeford High School the figure skates are long gone. Potvin is in her fourth year playing for Biddeford's girls' ice hockey team. This year she has helped her squad to a 7-0 start.
She's not alone. Girls all over southern Maine are joining a growing number of high school girls ice hockey teams, playing a sport that may soon be officially sanctioned by the Maine Principals Association.
So where's Potvins' Mom now? Just over the boards, barking orders from the bench as Biddeford's head coach.
"When we started a girls program, I was the girls' director," said Marie Potvin, who has been coaching the Biddeford team since its inception four years ago. "I decided to take a coaching clinic because we were looking to start the next step, a high school program."
Marie's son Matt played hockey at Biddeford, helping peak his sister's interest in the sport. Ashley now plays on three teams - Biddeford's girls' team, the boy's junior varsity team and a girls' under-19 select team.
Still, she hasn't forgotten her roots. Ashley's teammates at Biddeford have witnessed her breaking out her figuring skating moves from time to time in practice.
"I can do waltz jump, salchow and some spins," she said.
But never during games.
"I don't pull out any Mighty Ducks stuff," she said, referring to the Disney movie.
While Potvin simply changed her skates, girls are transitioning to ice hockey in a variety of ways.
Scarborough senior Annie Bolton began playing as a freshman with an interest that stemmed from field hockey.
"I played field hockey with a lot of the girls on the ice hockey team and they suggested I try skating with them during fall and play with them on the ice hockey team," Bolton said.
Like a lot of girls who began ice hockey as freshman, Bolton had never skated before, setting up a scenario that's like learning to walk and play soccer at the same time.
"The coaches were great and all of the girls that had been playing awhile helped with techniques and what works best with them," Bolton said. "Now it's like riding a bike."
Bolton plays offense during ice hockey season, left wing to be exact, and defense during field hockey. She enjoys the transition between the two sports and the two positions and can't pick a favorite between them.
"I like them both the same," she said. "In ice hockey the shifts are a lot quicker; the way we work as a team on the ice is different."
Teammate Erika Schneller isn't as diplomatic.
"I definitely like ice hockey a lot better,' said Schneller, a junior. "I feel more involved with the team and in the sport itself. My whole family has been really into (ice) hockey since I was born. It's more natural for me I think."
Personally I like the speed of the game. It's a lot quicker than most sports and it can change so fast. I love that. Its one of the first sports I felt completely comfortable playing; everything flows."
Scheneller is the goalie for Scarborough's field hockey team; she plays defense when on the ice and hopes to play ice hockey in college.
There are currently 21 teams playing as part of the Maine Girls Ice Hockey Association, including teams from Gorham, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and Biddeford.
In order for the Maine Principals Association to officially recognize girls' ice hockey as a varsity sport, 10 teams need to be officially sanctioned by their school boards and have a letter sent to the MPA requesting the sport be recognized. That number is currently at eight.
According to Cape Elizabeth athletic director Keith Weatherbie, reaching the magic number of 10 is just a matter of time.
Teams throughout the area are at various stages of the process. Scarborough is sanctioned by its school board, receives funding and is by most accounts treated as equal to all the other sports.
"I have the best athletic director you could ask for," Scarborough coach Bre Fortiguerra said. "He is so fair to us, splitting things down the middle as far as ice time."
Biddeford is in its first year wearing school colors, but is not yet sanctioned by the school board and does all its own fundraising - no easy task.
"We fund all of our ice time, referee time, our socks, everything," Marie Potvin said. "We do what we can. We do a multitude of fund-raisers. Hockey is expensive with facilities and also the equipment. Sometimes we struggle with that."
Those expense issues are shown in one major difference between girls' and boys' hockey in southern Maine. The girls play three 12-minute periods. However, the games are limited to one hour with intermissions shortened and the ice not being resurfaced between periods - helping to cut expenses.
Cape Elizabeth's hockey team became officially sanctioned by its school board this year, but still does all of its own fundraising. According to head coach Cade Blackburn his team's ice bill alone was $1,700 in December.
The Gorham girls' hockey team is sanctioned by the school board, but a letter requesting the sport be sanctioned has not been sent.
"One of the reasons some of these schools aren't pushing for MPA sanctioning as much is because of a limited amount of ice time," Gorham coach Chris Bowring. "Once they have to be equal with the girls it's going to take time away from the boys. It's not going to increase the girls a lot but it is going to bring it down for the boys."
Bowring has a son on Gorham's junior varsity team; his daughter Kate, a junior, is on his team.
Kate is another converted figure skater. When her Dad, Chris, agreed to coach Gorham three years ago he did not do to so until his daughter agreed to play.
With the success of womens' hockey in the Olympics and the growth of the college game, girls' hockey is becoming more mainstream.
"There is a little bit of a feeling of not being equal with other sports, especially boys' hockey, but it is changing a lot." Bolton said.
When asked about how girls' ice hockey players are viewed, Biddeford senior goalie Alexandra Hennedy recalled a bottle drive her freshman year.
"We asked 'Do you have any bottles for girls' ice hockey?' And the guy said 'Girls playing ice hockey, what a joke," and slammed the door in our faces." Hennedy said. "You get mixed responses but I think now it is becoming more positive."
Tonight, I had my equipment on my back and this man comes up and grabs me by the elbow and says 'Do you girls play hockey?' That's so cool."
January 11, 2007
Salchows to slapshots, girls hockey growing
By Keith B. Wehmeyer
When Ashley Potvin first put on skates they were of the figure skating variety, but at seven, to the chagrin of her mother, she began switching to hockey.
Now as a senior at Biddeford High School the figure skates are long gone. Potvin is in her fourth year playing for Biddeford's girls' ice hockey team. This year she has helped her squad to a 7-0 start.
She's not alone. Girls all over southern Maine are joining a growing number of high school girls ice hockey teams, playing a sport that may soon be officially sanctioned by the Maine Principals Association.
So where's Potvins' Mom now? Just over the boards, barking orders from the bench as Biddeford's head coach.
"When we started a girls program, I was the girls' director," said Marie Potvin, who has been coaching the Biddeford team since its inception four years ago. "I decided to take a coaching clinic because we were looking to start the next step, a high school program."
Marie's son Matt played hockey at Biddeford, helping peak his sister's interest in the sport. Ashley now plays on three teams - Biddeford's girls' team, the boy's junior varsity team and a girls' under-19 select team.
Still, she hasn't forgotten her roots. Ashley's teammates at Biddeford have witnessed her breaking out her figuring skating moves from time to time in practice.
"I can do waltz jump, salchow and some spins," she said.
But never during games.
"I don't pull out any Mighty Ducks stuff," she said, referring to the Disney movie.
While Potvin simply changed her skates, girls are transitioning to ice hockey in a variety of ways.
Scarborough senior Annie Bolton began playing as a freshman with an interest that stemmed from field hockey.
"I played field hockey with a lot of the girls on the ice hockey team and they suggested I try skating with them during fall and play with them on the ice hockey team," Bolton said.
Like a lot of girls who began ice hockey as freshman, Bolton had never skated before, setting up a scenario that's like learning to walk and play soccer at the same time.
"The coaches were great and all of the girls that had been playing awhile helped with techniques and what works best with them," Bolton said. "Now it's like riding a bike."
Bolton plays offense during ice hockey season, left wing to be exact, and defense during field hockey. She enjoys the transition between the two sports and the two positions and can't pick a favorite between them.
"I like them both the same," she said. "In ice hockey the shifts are a lot quicker; the way we work as a team on the ice is different."
Teammate Erika Schneller isn't as diplomatic.
"I definitely like ice hockey a lot better,' said Schneller, a junior. "I feel more involved with the team and in the sport itself. My whole family has been really into (ice) hockey since I was born. It's more natural for me I think."
Personally I like the speed of the game. It's a lot quicker than most sports and it can change so fast. I love that. Its one of the first sports I felt completely comfortable playing; everything flows."
Scheneller is the goalie for Scarborough's field hockey team; she plays defense when on the ice and hopes to play ice hockey in college.
There are currently 21 teams playing as part of the Maine Girls Ice Hockey Association, including teams from Gorham, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and Biddeford.
In order for the Maine Principals Association to officially recognize girls' ice hockey as a varsity sport, 10 teams need to be officially sanctioned by their school boards and have a letter sent to the MPA requesting the sport be recognized. That number is currently at eight.
According to Cape Elizabeth athletic director Keith Weatherbie, reaching the magic number of 10 is just a matter of time.
Teams throughout the area are at various stages of the process. Scarborough is sanctioned by its school board, receives funding and is by most accounts treated as equal to all the other sports.
"I have the best athletic director you could ask for," Scarborough coach Bre Fortiguerra said. "He is so fair to us, splitting things down the middle as far as ice time."
Biddeford is in its first year wearing school colors, but is not yet sanctioned by the school board and does all its own fundraising - no easy task.
"We fund all of our ice time, referee time, our socks, everything," Marie Potvin said. "We do what we can. We do a multitude of fund-raisers. Hockey is expensive with facilities and also the equipment. Sometimes we struggle with that."
Those expense issues are shown in one major difference between girls' and boys' hockey in southern Maine. The girls play three 12-minute periods. However, the games are limited to one hour with intermissions shortened and the ice not being resurfaced between periods - helping to cut expenses.
Cape Elizabeth's hockey team became officially sanctioned by its school board this year, but still does all of its own fundraising. According to head coach Cade Blackburn his team's ice bill alone was $1,700 in December.
The Gorham girls' hockey team is sanctioned by the school board, but a letter requesting the sport be sanctioned has not been sent.
"One of the reasons some of these schools aren't pushing for MPA sanctioning as much is because of a limited amount of ice time," Gorham coach Chris Bowring. "Once they have to be equal with the girls it's going to take time away from the boys. It's not going to increase the girls a lot but it is going to bring it down for the boys."
Bowring has a son on Gorham's junior varsity team; his daughter Kate, a junior, is on his team.
Kate is another converted figure skater. When her Dad, Chris, agreed to coach Gorham three years ago he did not do to so until his daughter agreed to play.
With the success of womens' hockey in the Olympics and the growth of the college game, girls' hockey is becoming more mainstream.
"There is a little bit of a feeling of not being equal with other sports, especially boys' hockey, but it is changing a lot." Bolton said.
When asked about how girls' ice hockey players are viewed, Biddeford senior goalie Alexandra Hennedy recalled a bottle drive her freshman year.
"We asked 'Do you have any bottles for girls' ice hockey?' And the guy said 'Girls playing ice hockey, what a joke," and slammed the door in our faces." Hennedy said. "You get mixed responses but I think now it is becoming more positive."
Tonight, I had my equipment on my back and this man comes up and grabs me by the elbow and says 'Do you girls play hockey?' That's so cool."
No comments:
Post a Comment