BOISE, ID — Last Friday, the Boise State Women’s Club Hockey team finally hit the ice for their first official practice of the year.
Last time we spoke with Anna Royer, the club vice president, they still had a lot of behind-the-scenes work to do in order to get the club off the ground.
Related: Bringing Back the Boise State Women's Club Hockey Team
Since then, club president Emma Waskiewicz said that they have been very busy recruiting and fundraising in hopes of starting up a squad. Waskiewicz explained that they were handing out fliers and holding info meetings.
Last year the team had only five players but for their first practice of the 2023-2024 season, almost 20 girls laced up their skates and took the ice.
The first practice went differently than most. Speaking with Royer, she said that out of 23 rostered players, only about seven or eight of them have actual experience with the sport. There are a lot of girls still learning how to skate.
When asked about growing pains, Waskiewicz explained, "The foundation of skating is the biggest part of hockey. You don't even have to know how to hold a stick. You need to know how to skate, you need to know how to be on your feet. That is our main goal."
Royer said that they want to start working with street sticks so that the girls can learn basic stick-handling skills.
Though the squad has a lot to learn in the coming months, I asked Waskiewicz when fans should be expecting to see the team suit up for a game.
"In the spring, our goal right now, is to have some kind of tournament. Maybe invite the University of Washington, we are looking into the University of Wyoming," said Waskiewicz.
Speaking with several members of the team, the majority are excited. Those who haven't played before are extremely eager to learn, and those who are returning are just thankful for the vast amount of support they received from the community in the last month.
"We're growing a club that was basically non-existent, and here we are coming back," exclaimed Royer.
