SC Spotlight: Women’s Ice Hockey at USC
By Kelly Kinas ‘16
In case you have not noticed, NHL hockey is officially back. It’s totally fine if you didn’t know, with NFL and MLB games still happening, hockey can sometime get put to the side. BUT NO LONGER. Because I am here to bring you all the information about the only collegiate women’s ice hockey program in California, the Women’s Ice Hockey at USC. They’re cool (like ice), they’re badass, and they deserve more love from the USC student body. Enter me and Trojans 360.
Let’s adventure into the world of Women’s Ice Hockey here at USC!
Women’s Ice Hockey at USC was founded at the University of Southern California over 15 years ago, to spread the love of the best sport in the world and to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment for learning it. Throughout its illustrious history, USC WICE has attracted women of all backgrounds, majors, and experience levels, and they continue that legacy today. The team thrives on dedication, perseverance, and sportsmanship, and they work hard to foster a strong community with unbeatable team chemistry.
Now, you might ask what makes them so badass and awesome? Being the only collegiate women’s ice hockey program in California is pretty bad-ass. There’s no PAC-12 for them to join or PAC-8 which the men’s ice hockey team is in. So what do these women’s do? THEY PLAY CLUBS. LIKE THE CLUBS OF WOMEN WHO HAVE JOBS AND STUFF. These collegiate, ice hockey superstars reach out to clubs across Southern California and play clubs like the SoCal Predators and the LA Ice, who are not college teams. That’s so freakin’ cool.
How do I know this? Well, I went to their first game this season and it was great. My friend Kat is on the team and we went to support her. You best believe we’re going to the next one too. Their schedule is below. The first game already happened but I want to see more people at the next one so here you go:
I know next to nothing about hockey. I know it takes a lot of strength, agility, and endurance. I know it can get kind of violent and by the end of the game, you’re rooting for someone to get slammed up against the wall. It’s cold (no duh) so bring a blanket.
As most of you know, while USC has state-of-the-art facilities, they do not have a hockey rink. Therefore, these games happen around LA. The first one was in Lakewood. It’s fun to get off campus for a bit and immerse yourself in a sport you kind of understand. You learn a lot just from watching.
MORE ABOUT THE TEAM:
To quote their website: “We understand exactly how hard it can be to be women in competitive sports. From discrimination to plain old sexism, we each have our own stories and experiences. So, it is all the more important to us to build a supportive, positive community of female hockey players in Southern California, and next, the world! And, of course, we are LGBT+ friendly!”
Currently, they play at a recreational-club level with local Southern California women’s recreational teams but they want to join the west coast’s first women’s ice hockey PAC-8! They’re talking to the Colorado State University and Arizona State University women’s ice hockey teams to make that dream become a reality.
If you are interested in supporting their efforts to grow their team or donating hockey equipment, please see their donations and sponsorships page. If you are interested in playing with them (no experience necessary!!), email them at wice.usc@gmail.com or contact them at facebook.com/uscicehockeyw. And, of course, come and cheer them on at their next game!
Supporting women’s sports, supporting club sports, and supporting women’s club sports are so important. Come out and support them at their next game! I was only one doing the SoCal spell-out last time! It was embarrassingly bad. All y’all should come out and help me next time.
Hit the ice and Fight on!
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