by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — A 15-year-old Cobden hockey player is one notch closer to her dream of playing university hockey.
Left-handed defenceman Hilary Dick tried out for the Junior Lady Sens. However, she was releasedin the final cut with the advice to try again next year.
So, not wanting to miss an opportunity to move up in hockey, she tried out for the Lady Sens Midget Double A team. There were 16 players aged 15 and 16 vying for the three defence spots. She admits she knew of those vying, one would make it for sure, leaving two spots.
Within a three-week period, there were about four try-outs, each lasting for about two hours.
On her way home from the final tryout with her mom Sandra driving, Hilary decided to telephone her dad, Blair, with the news.
“I told him I was cut,” she recalled, “And he was like that’s ok, you can try again.”
However, in the next breath, she told him she made the team.
Looking back to the tryouts for the Lady Sens team, Hilary said for the Double A team she was interviewed by a coach.
“When I walked into the room he said, “Are you nervous?” and I said yes and he said just be yourself.”
At the end of the final tryout, she was introduced to all the coaches and asked, how do you think that went? She responded, “I think it went well,” and they agreed. “We thought so to. Welcome to the team.”
Hilary said the process of trying out for two major teams was an experience she wouldn’t have missed for the world.
But, even though she’s on the team, Hilary doesn’t get to relax. She now has to do off-season workouts, which includes shooting 400 pucks a week, working on her endurance, running, cardio and weights.
“I don’t want to be the one girl who comes back without doing any work,” she said. “I don’t want to be worse when I come back.”
She currently runs between five to seven kilometres a few times a week, works out on weights at home and shoots lots of pucks.
“I need to practice my slap shot,” she said.
Hilary also has to work on her accuracy of shooting the puck from the blue line to the net, which is a distance of about 60 feet.
To ensure she’s on the right track at remaining in shape and bettering her hockey skills, Hilary is asking hockey people for workout programs.
Hilary has worked hard to get to this team and she’s proud of her accomplishments.
Her dad put skates on her when she was about four years old and eventually she began playing hockey. She started off in the Muskrat league and then went to the Aces rep teams. She has been on the Bantam Aces Double A team for the last two years.
“I was the only girl on the Aces team for about two years,” she said.
Hilary has only played on boys’ hockey rep teams because the girls’ hockey teams haven’t provided her the opportunity to play on a team with the same skill level as the Aces has provided. However, in off-season, such as spring hockey, she has played on girls’ teams.
It was at the Aces’ level she met coach Terry Serviss, who coached her for three years. He encouraged her to shoot more pucks, even going so far as to set up a shooting log so she could keep track of how many she shot. He even came to her home to help her with the puck handling.
He also helped her with off-ice workouts.
Hilary knows she put in a lot of hard work, but, without the support of Coach Serviss, as well as many other coaches throughout the years, her parents and those who helped get her to games and practices, getting to the next level of hockey each time would not have been possible.
“Thanks everybody who supported me,” she said.
Hilary enjoys hockey not only for its competitiveness and the chance to be aggressive, but she has made many friends, not only in the area she lives, but also in areas where she has played, such as Kanata.
She admits she has had to give up some things for the sport, such as going to friends’ homes, or going to school dances and parties. But, a dream of Hilary’s is to earn a university hockey scholarship.
This spring Hilary was invited to play on The Farm Team, which is a tournament team in Kanata. One of the tournaments will be in Boston, with an opportunity to tour Harvard University. There’s even talk they may get to be on the ice with the university players and their coaches.
Hilary graduated from Cobden District Public School last June and is a Grade 9 student at Opeongo High School.
Watching her daughter grow and become a skilled hockey player has been a great experience, said Sandra.
“It’s opened a lot of doors for her and she’s met lots of people,” she said.
Hilary has worked hard, not only on ice but off the ice, Sandra said.
“Her love for the game has taught her time management,” Sandra said, adding, “Blair and I are very blessed to have a daughter who is dedicated to both academics and sports, and we are grateful to be a part of that.”
