St. Jude Knights girls hockey program – Play like a girl!
Originally published January 18, 2015 (Submission copy)
When you think of girls’ sports, which do you imagine? Gymnastics, tennis, soccer, maybe even LaCrosse. Girls’ sports and ice? Visions of figure skaters and ice dancers, right? How about hockey? Not so much?
St. Jude Knights Hockey Club Coach Jackie Wedster-Kooistra is out to give more girls in this area the opportunity to play hockey, and compete against other all-girl teams.
When Jackie was only five years old, she was participating in figure skating. Being a bit too aggressive, she was, as she states, “kicked out” of class!
Luckily, a hockey coach for the St. Jude team said “I’ll take her”!
On the St. Jude team, she was the only girl – ever. She loved to play, but was always playing with only boys, and didn’t get the sense of unity of being part of the team. She had to change in the women’s washroom, not in the locker room with her other teammates; there was no locker room for girls.
She found an all- girls team, but it was 1.5 hours, each way to practice. She felt a sense of belonging – teamwork, parties, sleepovers, but a huge time commitment. When she played for Team Illinois, ice time was so late; she didn’t arrive home until 12:30 (midnight). The commute was pulling her away from homework, social time, and other activities, so she decided to enroll in Culver Academy, Culver, Indiana. There, she could play hockey and live on campus. She states, “It was a blessing to get my schoolwork done, get some ice time in after classes, and be able to have a social life.”
Her college career took her to the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, which is a Division 1 NCAA school. While she was there, she played in the US National Development Camps for U18 and U22. She even got to play at Lake Placid. “It was amazing,” excitedly states Jackie, “and I coach for those camps now!”
After college, she interned with the Blackhawks. She ponders, “It was interesting to see the behind the scenes work. I would love to thank my teachers for all they taught and how much work goes into a program!”
She came back home to the south suburbs and discovered that there still were no all-girl hockey teams. Her experience along the East Coast was that girls playing hockey was the norm. She decided that was going to be her focus; and for the last two years, she has been working on developing an All-Girl Hockey program for St. Jude.
The Knights’ roster currently boasts 16 girls from the Orland, Palos, and Chicago area. They play against other all-girl teams, but have to travel as far as Buffalo Grove and Winnetka. Many boys were of the mindset, “girls don’t play hockey”. “I coach all the kids (power skate, etc.). They see me skate, and see how a girl can skate, and now they encourage other girls to come to skate.”
Coach Kooistra adds, “These girls don’t feel like outsiders any longer. They feel on top right now! I couldn’t have asked for a better family atmosphere than St. Jude. We all started together; I’m a girl coach. I have boys ask if they could put their hair in a ponytail and play for my all-girl team!”
Paul Manning, St. Jude Knights Hockey Director for seven years, spoke to the emphasis now on this program. When he began, there were 3 girls in the program, now there are 45. “I felt it was important for someone to spearhead the drive to establish a girls’ team and we needed a female face behind it, someone the girls could look up to. Everyone looks up to Coach Jackie – to have her face behind this program is wonderful.
“Thankfully she came to St. Jude. We are looking to have 3 girl teams (U12 and U10). It is extremely important to me to have a girls program. Hockey is a great sport; not only for boys, but everyone, in all walks of life, should be able to play. I love it!”
Mr. Manning shared that there is no checking until the age of 13, and there is a lot to learn when the boys and girls play together.
A recent Girls Hockey Day at Southwest Ice Arena hosted 80 girls of all ages. Jackie’s own 2 year old was on the ice; and the girls were able to practice drills, shooting, skating, and 3-on-3 hockey games.
To check out the program, visit www.stjudehockey.org