We've Officially Started...
September 25, 2005
We have officially started our Hilton Family Skate to 2006 tour. After two weeks off, the team flew into St. Paul, MN yesterday for our first practice of the tour. I think the time that we had off after our loss to Canada in the final of the Four Nations’ Cup has energized us, and we are ready to work hard. I spent my time off at home in Michigan with my family, out in California for a Glamour shoot that will appear in the upcoming January issue with fellow teammates Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz, Kelly Stephens, and Tricia Dunn. I also had the chance to go to Toronto to see my favorite baseball team play, the Boston Red Sox, and to promote my favorite non-profit, Right to Play…check ‘em out at www.righttoplay.com! I had the chance to travel with this organization to Uganda, Africa last summer to promote their aim of “using sport and play programs to encourage the healthy physical, social and emotional development of the world’s most disadvantaged children.” More on them later…
Back to hockey, you could tell that everyone felt fresh on the ice last night. There was a bit of a jump in our strides, despite the long flights during the day. On Friday we will be playing the WCHA All-Stars. These are the best women you will find in college hockey, outside of the East Coast. So, over the next week, we will practice twice a day, lift two or three times, and try to bond as a team on and off the ice. Living out of a hotel is not very conducive to this last goal, so we will be sure to get everyone’s rooming list!
I guess one of the hardest things about living on the road for the next 6 months is that you have to pack your life in one bag. It took me a couple hours the other night to pack for the tour. You can only bring your favorite pair of jeans, your very best jacket, and the most comfortable pair of sweatpants that your own (definitely Harvard sweats, or DHA’s as we call them). I am excited to be with the team right now, but expect lots of hard work ahead.