The Buckeyes were gracious enough to give up time in their busy schedules to come teach a group of amateurs, but being student athletes, these women are professionals at time management.
"There are so many skills that are transferrable being a student and an athlete," OSU forward Lexi Templeman said. "Having those skills and developing them over the years will only help us in our future."
This session of Hockey for Her started with a classroom session discussing hockey analytics led by Blue Jackets assistant general manager Josh Flynn and OSU women's hockey director of operations Kelsey Cline. The participants then filtered down to the OhioHealth Ice Haus where the OSU players were preparing for a crash course of basic on-ice skills.
RELATED: Hockey for Her aims to bring women together throughout season
"They made it easy on us (teaching). They asked a lot of questions," OSU forward Jennifer Gardiner said. "It made us take a step back and reevaluate our own skills and help each other learn too."
The drills were simple if you listened to the experts and followed their instructions. Some of us (I won't name names) went into it with too much confidence, resulting in an epic fail. Everyone else, however, seemed to get the hang of it after a few reps and the generous guidance of the instructors.
"I coach when I'm home in the summers," Gardiner said. "I think it's a lot of fun working with younger kids, watching their love for the game grow, giving them pointers based on my career and what I've been through and just helping them along the way."
Now, the Hockey for Her participants were not quite up to national champion standards, but students and teachers alike both took value from the session in one way or another.
"I think there's a lot of things we take for granted being so far developed in the sport," Templeman said. "It's really nice to take a step back and start from the beginning and teach the basics all over again. It's nice to step out and look at it from a different perspective."
Teaching the basics of the sport brought back fond memories for the Buckeyes as they relived their early hockey experiences and the start of their successful careers.
"I started skating when I was 3," OSU defensemen Hadley Hartmetz said. "My parents wanted me to learn how to skate and I just happened to choose the hockey skates from the start."
While Hartmetz made a spontaneous pick of skates (a choice that seemed to work out, of course), Gardiner's choice was calculated.
"I also started skating when I was 3," Gardiner said. "I started out in figure skating, but I hated the outfits. I would have much rather been in hockey gear like my brother was at the time, so that's how I got into hockey."
The main goal of the Hockey for Her program is to foster a community of women who all share a passion for hockey. Not only are these women taking part to learn more about hockey and the Blue Jackets, they also want to support the growth of women in hockey.
"I think the idea of women empowering women was really strong here tonight, so I think it was a really good experience for not only us but for them as well," Templeman said. "There's a lot of people out there trying to grow the game of hockey for women and I think this is just another step in the right direction."
The OSU team is an ambitious bunch. Many of the players plan to continue their hockey career in one way or another after graduation.
"I would personally love to go play overseas in Europe," Gardiner said. "Eventually, I want to get into coaching to stick around the game."
Templeman, currently a graduate student, also plans to play professional hockey after she finishes her eligibility this spring. While only a junior, Hartmetz's goal is to make the United States Olympic team once she graduates.
These women stress the importance of bringing attention to women in hockey in order for the sport to continue to grow, so the opportunity to teach other female hockey enthusiasts was a special moment for these players.
"I've never seen this many women come together around hockey like we did today," Hartmetz said.
In fact, the Blue Jackets plan to continue the Hockey for Her program by hosting a women in sports celebration on Tuesday, March 29. To sign up for this special event and other Hockey for Her sessions,
use this link for more information
.
