My Summer, My Winter
Today, we hand over the blog to Rose ’18, who plays on the defensive line of the Girls’ Varsity Hockey team. As Rose returns to the ice this winter, we learn how she supported her winter-time passion over the summer.
From Rose…
This past summer I attended the Rinksport Ice Hockey College Development Program at Babson College, the Beantown Classic Hockey Tournament in Boston, and worked as a counselor at Camp Aloha, an eight-week overnight camp for girls in Fairlee, Vermont.
Rinksport is a week-long camp and has a rigorous schedule that is similar to other sports camps I’ve attended. We stayed in the dorms at Babson College, waking up early each day around 5:00AM to skate. Two to three practices per day followed, along with games, off-ice training, and specific defensive and offensive-oriented practices. The camp was a great venue to interact face-to-face with college coaches, hone my skills, and learn more about specific coaching styles at the next level.
After my week at Rinksport, I attended the Beantown Classic with my club team, the Concord Capitals, where we competed against other club teams, some of which had familiar KUA faces including Mikah ’19, Colleen ’18, and Molly ‘19. The tournament was huge and the rinks were packed with players of all ages. It was a valuable opportunity to continue practicing in the off-season while also competing against teams from all over the country.
After Beantown, I switched gears and worked as a counselor at Camp Aloha, an eight-week summer camp for girls ages 12 through 16. Aloha is a place for girls to take a step back from the distractions of everyday life and live in a more rustic, traditional setting. Aloha describes itself as “a caring, learning community where every young woman discovers her own personal strengths and best self,” and I completely agree. To support this mission, the camp is strictly technology-free, which always proves to be a difficult transition at first, but afterwards it is an amazing experience to unplug. Everyone lives in tents with a ‘tent family’ of four girls including a counselor and participates daily in classic summer camp activities. The experience of living away from home in a supportive community helps the campers to understand who they are on a deeper level than just what they are wearing or what they look like.
Working as a counselor allowed me the opportunity to help younger campers grow, a special experience that has helped me to develop lifelong leadership skills I use on the ice, in my community, and beyond.
