Kailey Genge has been racking up some pretty good mileage in her hockey travels over the past couple of years.
It looks like it was time invested wisely when it comes to her quest to be among the elite female hockey players in her native province.
Genge, a 16-year-old native of Anchor Point, has earned a spot on the Newfoundland and Labrador female hockey team representing this province at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta.
Genge has been making the trek from Anchor Point to Corner Brook on a regular basis for a couple of years as a member of the Western Warriors AAA midget hockey team — the defending provincial championship squad that only lost one game in provincial play last season before representing the province at the 2018 Atlantic AAA female midget hockey tournament.
It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive that the shifty defenceman slowly got used to doing and it’s now second nature to her, but she’s glad she put in the commitment and plans on enjoying the rewards.
“It’s just a surreal feeling being able to go off and represent Newfoundland and Labrador at that level,” Genge said Monday morning.
Being willing to do what it takes and a no-quit attitude is what Genge believes helped her find her way to the Games. Now that she earned a spot, she wants to put more time into training to ensure she’s ready to be the tenacious player she’s been known to be.
It’s not about what she’s doing or not doing on the ice for Genge. She insists the team always comes first and she will always be a supportive and encouraging teammate no matter what the scoreboard shows.
“I’m not out there for myself. I’m out there for the team,” Genge said.
Genge will have some familiar faces in the mix when she makes the journey to Red Deer. Brooklyn Childs of Corner Brook and Carmen Elliott of Stephenville, who plays for Ridley College prep school based out of St. Catharines, Ont., will also wear Newfoundland and Labrador’s colours at the 2019 Games.
A skilled forward with a knack for scoring goals, Childs has been a force for the Western Warriors AAA midget team for a couple of years and won the Corner Brook minor hockey’s 2017 senior female player of the year.
“I’m really excited about going. It should be a good experience,” said Childs, who will be representing her province in hockey for the third time. “It means a lot. … It’s definitely special every time you get to put on that jersey.”
