Brooklyn Childs isn’t one to wish harm towards anybody, especially on Thanksgiving, but in this case who could blame her?
The 12-year-old daughter of Corner Brook’s Greg and Kim was recently named as one of four alternates for the under-15 female Team Newfoundland and Labrador hockey team that will compete at the 2014 Atlantic Challenge Cup on that long weekend in October.
She will likely be practising with the team when she can up until that time, but won’t get to actually go to the tournament — unless someone gets hurt or is unable to attend.
Her infatuation with hockey started even before she began playing.
At a very young age, she began watching her brother Nick and a few girls that were also on his team having fun skating around chasing the puck.
She started playing at the age of four and has stuck with it ever since.
“I just like how fun it is,” she said. “And because it’s a team sport.”
Two years ago, in her second year of atom, she began patrolling the blue-line for her team. She enjoys trying to shut down the opposition, even when faced with tough odds.
She plays against both boys and girls currently.
She’s in the bantam division against boys and plays in the under-20 girls league and bantam AAA.
Lacing up the skates against the boys is a little more challenging, she said, because of the checking and that it’s more aggressive.
The boys, however, would probably agree that it’s more challenging — for them.
“I’m usually the one that hits the most,” she said.
That enthusiasm likely helped her land a spot, even as an alternate, on the provincial team.
The camp was held in Gander from Aug. 7-11, open to players born between the years of 2000-2002.
She felt she had a good camp and had it in her head that she had a chance, but was still not entirely expecting the good news.
“I was surprised,” she said.
If she does get the chance to play for the club, she believes it will be the highest level of competition she ever faced.
Though it will be in a different sport entirely, she is currently getting a glimpse at national competition as a member of the provincial 16U bantam girls baseball team for the national bantam girls tournament in Saguenay, Que.
The team began play on Thursday, with tournament action wrapping up Sunday.
Which sport she prefers, she said, pretty much depends on the temperature.
Right now she prefers hockey because the hockey season is approaching.
“At the start of summer, I didn’t want to play hockey at all.”