competitive program. It has helped the Orlando
area retain more female hockey players than
previously with girls having no other option
than to play on the boys’ teams, an
accomplishment that Pacey and her
coaching staff are proud of.
FACING CHALLENGES
“Even though the number of
girls in hockey is growing, some
people are still just not sure what
to do with it,” Smith said. “Coaches
aren’t sure how to coach them,
and they’re different than boys.
Every coach that I’ve talked to
says that the girls are different.
The girls are serious, the girls
are there to play hockey, whereas
the boys want to fool around.
The girls don’t care who is scoring
as long as it’s their team. And the
boys, each one wants to score and it
makes a difference.” The best way to
describe the differences is. Boys need to
win to be happy, Girls need to be happy
to win.
At RDV Sportsplex, the few young female
players in the days before the Express also
experienced some obstacles when they came
to play.
“Many of the girls had never played big
roles on their boys’ teams. They just skated
back and forth on the ice, worked hard, maybe
touched the puck here and there and got off,”
Pacey said, “They dressed alone in the girls’
locker room or they dressed in the lobby
of the Ice Den. So, I saw the need for an
all-girls team and ran with it.”
SKATING FORWARD
It is the challenge of being the
minority that fuels the first
generation of female skaters
to be role models to younger
generations of hockey players,
like Kerry Smith and Jenna
Ruedy, so they can achieve their
dreams both on and off the ice.
Today, there are more and
more young girls playing this
awesome game and it’s such a site
to see! There are now more than 80
womens’ collegiate programs and
even a Womens’ Professional League
after college.
Girls’ and womens’ hockey programs
are growing tremendously in Florida
these days, and girls are beginning to start
playing at younger ages. As long as the programs
continue to grow giving female players
here in Florida the opportunities to host
their own tournaments for visiting teams,
then the future looks bright for women’s ice
hockey leagues around the state.
Jenna Ruedy, 11, is the only
girl player on the roster for the
Tampa Bulls youth hockey team.
FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE 813.682.9364 JULY/AUGUST • 19
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