Introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Stephanie and at this moment I am a researcher on TUe. I am from Mexico City. I came here to study and now I am doing research. Not too long ago I joined the Icehawks so I am rather new to ice hockey but normally I enjoy playing as a wing, however, I would not say that I have an established position yet.
For how long have you been playing hockey?
Well, I started to play 2 years ago with the Icehawks, however, the first season I hurt my knees in a practice and I could not play for around 2 months and the second season we could say was not there because of Corona, so I am rather a newbie.
Why did you pick ice hockey?
As a child one of my favorite movies was “The Mighty Ducks”, basically all this movie is about ice hockey, so I really wanted to practice this sport. Nevertheless, in Mexico City, there are not that many opportunities for this, because there are not so many ice rinks and the equipment is rather expensive, which means that you need to be kind of rich to be able to afford it. Hence, once I came to the Netherlands I saw that there were possibilities to practice, and as soon as possible I started.
What’s the best part of the sport for you?
I really like the speed of the game, everything happens so fast. One moment you are in one corner of the rink, and at the next, you need to go back as fast as you can to the other side. And in between, you can shift a couple of times in seconds.
What do you like the most about the team?
I think the team is always welcoming, everyone tries always to give you tips to improve and everyone seems to enjoy the sport so much that I am always happy to go to another training.
What’s your jersey number? Is there a reason for picking it?
I got number 26. I wanted to have the number 12 but Karina also wanted it, I think there is a special number for both of us, we talk about this but none of us wanted to give up on the number so we decided that the person that was first on choosing it could keep it. And that was Karina, in the end, I needed to pick a new number, so I decided to go for 26 which is the birthday of someone very special to me.
Favorite moment with the Icehawks?
Well after the first lockdown because of COVID, I was just coming back from Mexico around mid-March and I encountered that everyone was scared and everything was closed, the city looked like a post-apocalyptic place. That and the fact that you were stuck at home, in my case in a small studio, kind of make me feel a bit down. However, soon after when there was a bit more freedom for meeting people, inline hockey started to be organized and that really put me in a good mood again.
What are you known for within the Icehawks?
Well, what I am known for I am not sure, I cannot think of something right now. Also, I do not think that I have a nickname however most of the team calls me Steph, which is just shorter for Stephanie.
Do you have any weird/interesting pregame rituals?
Not really, so far I have only been in two or three games so no rituals. I think this maybe will come later when I have more experience on this.
What makes you keep coming to practices?
I really enjoy the fact that after a heavy day you can just go and give it all, skate fast, and sweat it all. In the practice, everyone is so energetic and there is so much movement that at some point I just forget all and just skate. And at the end of the practice, I just feel drained and calm so I can take a shower and go to sleep so a new day can start again.
If you could give some piece of advice to someone looking to try hockey, what would it be?
I would say give it a try you will enjoy it even more than you thought, take it from someone that just started to play two years ago with zero experience. And why should you pick the Icehawks, well the team is awesome. Everyone is welcome no matter how experienced or inexperienced they are and the team will always help you to improve. Other than that, what extra reason do you need!
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