Erika Graham '21 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is Erika Graham and I play hockey for Meijer 16U AAA. I have played hockey for the past 8 years, first at a house level and moving on up to the AAA level for the past two years. I became interested in hockey in third grade when I saw how much fun two of my good friends had playing. Once I tried the sport, I was instantly hooked. In the past, I had tried a number of different sports (competitive gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, and basketball among others) but hockey was the one that truly fit me.

My first year of hockey I was scared since I thought that everyone would be so much better than I was. But to my surprise everyone was welcoming, and I had a great time playing. That encouraged me to keep going.

For my second year I was looking for a bigger challenge and moved to a boys’ team. I thought that the boys were going to treat me differently because I was a girl, but when I showed up for the first day of practice they treated me with respect since I could hold my own with them. Being on a boys’ team as a defender meant that sometimes I would be up against a boy that would be bigger than me, but that didn’t stop me from trying my best to clear them out from in front of the net. Playing with the boys taught me that sometimes to get what you want it may take a little extra push or persistence. That year we ended up winning the league championship by beating the team that we had lost to all season in the finals.

My sixth year of hockey I was on a great team playing both as a forward and defender. We had a great year and won states and got to go to nationals. Although we struggled, we ended getting third in nationals. It was a big accomplishment for the team and me personally.

I enjoy playing hockey because I love the feeling of getting on the ice and skating and being able to travel around for games and tournaments and matching up against some good players. I love being constantly in motion and being active which is why tennis is also a good fit with me. One thing that I have to overcome every day is my ADHD. I constantly have to focus myself into the game and have found my ways to maintain focus.

I am currently a junior at Father Gabriel Richard High School. I have learned through these past years what it takes to juggle academics and sports. I take my academics very seriously and hope to continue them at a great college. I have a 3.6 GPA for this past school year. I have played on my high school’s varsity tennis team for the last two years. I am interested in studying software security.