Making the case for girls to play hockey

Girls should play hockey. If you already play, that is great! If you think that playing hockey is a boy’s sport and is boring, you are wrong.

One reason why you should play hockey is because it is fast-paced. The game just keeps going with the puck flying back and forth on the ice and you are skating as fast and as hard as you can to score. Hockey is not a slow-moving game like softball or baseball when you might stand out in the outfield for a whole inning and barely move.

A second reason why girls should play hockey is that you will learn to ice skate while playing the game. Ice skating is a lot of fun. You can ice skate in an indoor rink or an outdoor rink. I play ice hockey at an outdoor rink.

Hockey requires a lot of equipment, which I know some parents might not want to buy. If your parents do not want to buy all the equipment for you, you could always get a hockey stick and a ball and play in the street. Street hockey can be a lot of fun, too. Ask your parents for a stick for your birthday just to start. Even if the stick is not the most expensive, at least you have something to start off with.

I have been playing since I was 5. I play street hockey with my brother, cousins and neighborhood friends. I play ice hockey for the Greenport Pirates and I play roller hockey for St. John of God Roller Hockey League where I am the only girl on the team. I hope one day to make it on the National Women’s Hockey League or the Olympics.

I recommend to any girl to at least start off by playing street hockey. Trust me — once you start playing, you will love it.