LF_061418

LakeForestLeader.com SPORTS
the lake forest leader | June 14, 2018 | 31
From the Sports Editor
Parents, invest in your daughters
22nd Century Media File
Photo
1st-and-3
Scouts First Team
1. Kevin Lamp
(ABOVE)
The Lake
Forest junior’s
aggressive
offense made
his First Team
placement a nobrainer.
This year
he led the team
in kills during
a successful
season.
2. Kyle Waggoner.
The Scouts cocaptain
kept his
composure during
the season to be
a senior leader
and helped end
the season on a
high note.
3. Justin McCartney
Lake Forest junior
setter was an
easy choice for
the Team 22 First
Team, he was an
all-around threat
for Lake Forest
this season.
Brittany Kapa
b.kapa@22ndcenturymedia.com
I
want to share a recent
experience I had with
you, so settle in for a
short story time.
Part of my job as a
sports editor with 22nd
Century Media is covering
local sports, high school
mostly, which means that
I’m out at games quite a
bit.
About a month ago, I
covered a game in Lake
Forest. It was the first
round of the softball
regional quarterfinal
game and the Scouts
took on Highland Park
High School at the west
campus. I was there taking
photos of the game when,
out of the corner of my
eye, I noticed a young
girl, maybe 8 or 9 years
old, petting a dog next to
me.
Me being the sucker I
am for cute dogs, I looked
over. The first thing I
noticed was that the young
girl was wearing a San
Jose Sharks sweatshirt.
I couldn’t help myself
and had to ask her if she
liked hockey.
She nodded her head
yes. Then, I asked her
if she played and her
response came as a shock
to me.
“No, my brother does,”
she said. “I want to but
my parents said it’s too
expensive for me to play
too.”
On my 45 minute drive
home I couldn’t shake that
response out of my head.
Every thought imaginable
was running through my
head.
“Why didn’t her parents
just reuse her brother’s
equipment for her?”
“I wonder if they know
that there are inexpensive
clinics that she could try?”
Now, I won’t pretend
that I know this girl’s family’s
financial situation,
but what struck me as sad
was that she wasn’t even
given the opportunity, but
her brother was.
That didn’t sit right with
me.
Years ago, after I started
playing hockey as an
adult, I remember asking
my mom why they never
signed me up.
“We asked your brother,
but we never thought
you’d be the one to play
hockey,” my mom said in
response.
Thinking back to my
childhood, I never knew
women even played hockey
so I can’t blame my
mom for that response.
I did feel for this young
girl though, and I hope
that she finds a way to
convince her parents to let
her at least try hockey.
I think it’s so important
to give these young girls
at least the opportunity
to try.
Thankfully, it seems
like we’re entering an
age where, as a society,
we appreciate and respect
women who have made a
career out of being professional
athletes.
For too long the professional
sports market has
been dominated by men,
and I’m happy to see
women gaining recognition
for the hard work
they put into their profession.
I can’t tell you the
elation I felt watching
Team USA’s Women’s Ice
Hockey team take gold in
the 2018 Winter Olympics
over Team Canada.
My teammates and I
were also up until the
wee hours of the morning
cheering the team on,
watching every minute of
the game and believing
that they could do it.
The country’s celebration
of those women –
including appearances on
various talk shows like
The Ellen DeGeneres
Show and The Tonight
Show with Jimmy Fallon
– was an important moment
in women’s professional
sports history. It
was inspiring to see those
women, and their athletic
accomplishment, celebrated
nationally.
I also can’t tell you how
excited I was to write
about Hilary Knight and
her journey to the Olympic
games and all of the
hard work that went into
getting there.
Their success only supports
the idea that if you
support young athletes
and encourage them, they
can accomplish anything.
It’s great to see that play
out from start to finish.
As someone who started
playing hockey as an
adult, I’m always trying
to encourage the next
generation to start hockey
at a young age.
I’ve tried to convince
my 6-year-old niece, to no
avail, that she should play
hockey like Auntie Britty,
but she’s just not interested
in it yet.
And that’s fine. At 6 she
wants to take ballet lessons
or dance lessons. I’ll
be at every performance
supporting her.
Now, her younger sister,
who is only 2, might be
the one to follow in her
aunt’s footsteps (she’s a
very fearless and independent
child) for which I am
extremely excited for, but
only time will tell.
I’ve been the sports
editor for this paper since
October and I know
how many opportunities
are out there for young
athletes all over the North
Shore.
At the high school
level there are some very
talented athletes throughout
Lake Forest, so I’m
hoping that tradition
continues.
Now, for those that are
interested in getting their
daughters into sports, any
sport, I encourage you to
take time to talk to them
about their options. I wish
I would have known as a
child that girls, women,
play hockey.
I’ve also learned in the
time I’ve been a journalist
that there are quite a few
programs, in every sport,
geared toward young
children and getting them
to try it out.
I encourage you to
seek out those programs.
I know for hockey in
particular the Chicago
Blackhawks have quite a
few Try Hockey clinics
that they set up all over
Illinois.
Lake Forest has a
myriad of options for
young athletes to try
sports through the park
district and there are even
private organizations, like
the Lake Forest Lacrosse
Association, that offer
instructional classes.
Listen Up
“I’m still playing the same sport that I’ve been
playing the last 10-12 years of my life.”
Caleb Durbin— Lake Forest baseball player, on transitioning to play college
baseball
tune in
Night on the Range
The Lake Bluff Golf Club has everything
needed for a fun night on the links.
• Lake Bluff Golf Club, Friday, June 15, 5-7
p.m.
Index
30 - Going Places
27 - Athlete of the Week
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor
Brittany Kapa. Send any questions or comments to
b.kapa@22ndcenturymedia.com.