The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 19
December 30, 2011
Invermere female hockey player proving she’s an all-star By Kelsey Verboom Pioneer Staff The sacrifices Invermere’s Holly Nikirk has made to pursue her hockey dreams are starting to pay off. The Grade 12 student, who grew up in the Columbia Valley, made the move to Nelson, B.C., three years ago to play on the Kootenay Wildcats, an all-female Midget AAA hockey team. Holly first started figure skating as a child, and switched to hockey when her friends started trading glittery figure skating costumes for hockey sticks. With an older brother who played hockey and an urge to be more like him, Holly grew up playing the game in the local Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena. A few years ago Holly decided to take the next step in her hockey career and play on a competitive all-female team, which required her to move east to Nelson and live with a billet family, leaving her own supportive parents, Sue and Dave Nikirk behind in Invermere. “I’ve always wanted to play a higher level of hockey, so I decided to start pursuing my dream,” Holly said. “Hockey isn’t something that’s just in my life; it’s more of a lifestyle. Everything I do and choose, like diet, training, and hydration, is working toward my hockey.” This year Holly got to sew an ‘A’ onto her jersey for the first time, after being named the team’s assistant captain. “It was a really good feeling,” she said of being dubbed a team leader. “I love to be a role model for all the younger girls on the team. We’re all like a big family.” Holly’s level of dedication is beginning to make her hockey goals come true. Despite sitting out since October after being smashed into the boards and suffering from a concussion, Holly was recently selected from a
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pool of 100 players to play in the league’s all-star game, after playing only three games this season. The all-star game, which was played in Burnaby on December 18th, is a showcase of the province’s top female hockey players and attracts university scouts. After traveling to the tournament, Holly was again hit into the boards and unfortunately had to sit out the all-star game with another concussion. She is currently being ordered to rest, and will resume training when she can. Holly has yet to decide if she wants to play universitylevel hockey, or focus entirely on her education. When asked what advice she would give other local female hockey players, Holly said that always striving for improvement is the most important thing. “There’s always something you can do once a day to make your self better. It’s all about drive and passion — the more you want it, the more you need to go for it.”
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