While Miami University offers more than 40 club sports for students to participate in, to a group of young women there is one sport missing that tops their list - women's ice hockey.
Through the growth of the men's hockey program it quickly became obvious to juniors Jess Wood and Natalie Dillon that there should be a representation of women's hockey somewhere in the Goggin agenda. For these young women hockey has been a top priority in their lives since first stepping onto the ice as toddlers and they even juggled pursuing a career at the collegiate level but chose a school in which their academic and social lives were not determined by a jersey. Yet their desire to regain momentum on the ice and have competition against their own sex has driven them to ignite a women's club ice hockey team.
Wood and Dillon have competed at the intramural level since their freshman year, and once they met they began discussing certain elements of the game that they were missing, mainly the camaraderie of being on a team. They decided that the best way to make this happen was to get the word out, starting small and asking for as much advice as possible from the Goggin staff andmembers of the men's club ice hockey team. At this point they have been able to gather a group of experienced players with the help of future teammate Elizabeth Wardlow, and are building a legacy that will be sure to live on.
"When I came to Miami I was surprised that there was not an existing team already," Wood said. "But after meeting other players like myself, especially Natalie and Elizabeth, I realized that with hard work and determination we can reach a club status."
Luckily for these young women, having a plan helped them jumpstart a program that will hopefully be recognized nationally in the years to come. This group of females has recently reached 12 participants who will begin their journey to become a team by participating in another
season at intramural status in order to obtain chemistry.
"We are hoping to instill a team mentality and challenge each other on the ice before representing Miami against other universities" Dillon said. "We are eager to emulate the success of the other Miami hockey programs and put Miami women's club ice hockey on the map."
The next stepping stone in achieving club status depends on the girls' ability to raise funding, gain a sufficient number of members, find a suitable coaching staff and form relationships with other universities. These may seem like lofty goals, but to Dillon and Wood they are just a part of meeting their ultimate goal of having a women's club ice hockey team.
If you are interested in joining the team or have any questions please be sure to e-mail Natalie Dillon at dillonne@muohio.edu or Jess Wood at woodjl3@muohio.edu. Miami students remember that all is possible with hard work and motivation and be sure to get your club on!
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