Description
Hi, I’m Lily! I’m fifteen years old and play one of the fastest games on earth!
When I was 12, my mum enrolled me in the Kiwi Skate programme at the ice stadium in town and at the end of our session, as I undid my boots, it would be the ice hockey players turn to take the ice. Watching them fly about the rink, spraying the ice in showers as they hockey-stopped fascinated me. From then on, I knew that once I had my skating skills, I was going to learn ice hockey. I have been playing it ever since!
I have worked hard to upskill my game and improve my fitness over the last few years and now play in the High School League and the Women’s League, both of which I really enjoy. Last year, all the hard work I’d been putting into training began to pay off when I was selected to represent New Zealand in the Women’s Under 18s Ice Hockey Team in the Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi. We fundraised like crazy, but were still short by over $3000. In the end I spent the money my Nanna left me in her will and my parents topped up the rest with the last of their savings. They knew how hard I’d trained and understood what an honour it was to be selected at my age.
This year, I have again been selected to represent New Zealand in the Under 18s Women’s Ice Hockey Team, but this time at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship in Mexico. However, with my family living on a fishing wage, and with a younger sister and brother, the cost of team uniforms, equipment, training camp, travel costs and accommodation is well beyond my family’s reach. So I’m hoping you will be able to help me with a donation so that I can confirm my place on the team, continue to represent New Zealand at an international sporting level, and hopefully encourage more girls to get into ice hockey. I would love to prove to them that with hard work and a lot of practice, you really can achieve your goals!
