Connie Anderson, a longtime Burns Lake resident, was the only northern resident to compete in the first ever women’s hockey tournament at the 55+ BC Games.
The annual five-day, multi-sport event, which gathers participants aged 55 plus from across B.C, was held in Kimberly and Cranbrook last month.
READ MORE: Burns Lake participates in the 55+ Games
But while the other hockey teams were comprised of players who had already been practicing together, Anderson’s team – called The Wildcats – was made up of women from different parts of the province who were playing together for the first time.
The 58-year-old Burns Laker said that what gave her the strength to drive over 1,000 km to compete in a team of complete strangers was the encouragement of her late husband, who passed away last year.
“When we found out about this tournament last year he said, ‘You should do this.’ So after he passed I thought maybe I could,” she said. “It was something I wanted to do, but my husband’s little push helped.”
“I’m not a really a throw-myself-out-there kind of person, but I wanted to do that for the first time.”
Anderson said she and her teammates were nervous at first.
“None of us knew what to expect,” she said. “We didn’t even know what positions we played.”
Their initial reaction did not last long, however, as the team members quickly grew fond of each other.
“It was a little bit nerve-racking at first, but everybody said the same thing. We all realized right away that we were all on the same page, so that made it feel more welcoming.”
“At the end of the game the most important thing is that we wanted to know about each other. It wasn’t about hockey.”
The Wildcats finished fifth in the tournament out of six teams.
Anderson said that being a part of the 55+ BC Games’ first women’s hockey tournament made the experience even more special, and that she hopes her experience will serve as inspiration to others.
“I want to show the younger people that you don’t have to stop doing things just because you’re older.”
Anderson started playing hockey when she turned 40, helping form the Burns Lake Vortex, an all-women hockey team.
“We started out with borrowed jerseys, and we’d go to the odd game, but then we fundraised and fundraised, and accumulated enough money to buy a set of jerseys, and then a second set.”
Five years later the Burns Lake Vortex competed at the Northern B.C. Winter Games and returned home with silver medals.
“We were amazed at how well we competed,” said Anderson. “It made us realize we were very competitive with other communities.”
Over the years hockey has brought many people together in Burns Lake, she said.
“Even though some people move across the country, it has kept us together somehow; that’s why we keep doing it when we get older.”
Anderson added that the Burns Lake Vortex encourages women of any skill level to join the team.
“You have to start somewhere.”
Registration forms are available at Blue Jay Sports and Alternative Grounds.
The team’s first practice of the season will be Oct. 6.
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