Rhoda Peterson '20 Recruiting Profile

    I got into hockey when I was 6 years old through my late stepfather. He played all through high school and encouraged me to try the sport because I was already a good skater and he thought I would enjoy it. It took a lot of convincing but I finally agreed to try it out at one of the try hockey for free events. By the end of the ice time I didn't want to leave, I had fallen in love with the sport in just that hour. He coached me and my teammates through squirts and most of peewees, but he passed away part way through the season when I was 12. It took me weeks to get back on the ice, and when I did I needed the support of my teammates to get through the awkward phase. That experience really effected how I think about my team and what a team really is because a teammate shouldn't just be someone who has your back on the ice but someone who has your back in life.  Since then every time touch the ice or enter a rink I remember why I'm there, which is to honor my stepdad, improve as much as possible at hockey, always give 110%, support my team in whatever happens. 

    I've played on the boys team all 10 years I've played, mostly because when I started there was no other option. In 7th grade I was asked to play on a girls team 2 and a half hours away, needless to say I didn't go to many practices there but I went with them to as many games as I could with them and made some lifelong friends. The coaches of that team always loved how aggressive I am as a result of playing with the boys for so long. My 3rd year playing with them my hometown got a girls team and I played on their 19u team and our u14 team because I was at the perfect age for that to work. The next year I made the state select team the Wildcats and had to stop playing in the other town because there was no way I could handle 4 teams, and my sophomore year of highschool at the same time. My boys coaches have always loved how I compete with the boys, I've been one of the fastest skaters on my team for almost as long as I can remember. The girls team coaches have always told me that the level of aggression that I have compared to girls who have only played girls all their lives is amazing.

    I want to go into environmental science, which could mean working for a company to reduce carbon footprint or being a park ranger and most things you can think of in between. I choose that field because I'm really passionate about most environmental issues and want to be part of the solution to those problems.