“Ghost” Writing:
A blog by 2013 Esso Cup host team the Fraser Valley Phantom

MONDAY, APRIL 8: DREAM BIG!

by Mikayla Ogrodniczuk (#16)

Gloria Steinem once wrote, “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

I like to dream. It gets me excited to wake up every day. I dream about a lot of different things; about finishing school with excellent marks, about university, about what my future career will be, about travelling to wonderful and exciting places around the world, and stuff like that. But what I dream most about is hockey.

My ultimate dream is to play on Canada’s National Women’s Team. I know it’s a lofty goal, but it gives me motivation to work hard. Sure, there are many amazing female players out there who may have a better chance than me of making Team Canada, but that’s okay. Life has a funny way of delivering the unexpected. Long odds, slim chances, doubt – they have no place in my dreams. One day, I hope to earn the privilege of wearing the maple leaf on my chest, and being the proudest person in the world.

But to reach my ultimate goal, my best dream, I need a plan. So, I have lots of other goals to help me reach my dream. Though perhaps less ambitious, they are important to me, closer to my grasp, and necessary for me to reach. These include playing major Midget hockey, making B.C.’s women’s under-18 team, earning a spot on Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Team, playing varsity hockey at university, and then eventually, making my way to Canada’s National Women’s Team.

I’ve achieved one of these goals – playing major Midget hockey – but I’m still working on the rest. I find inspiration from some of my teammates, who have achieved much more than me. All the girls on my team are so good; they motivate me to always try my best.

While I’m sure that my goals are shared by thousands of other girls across this country, they are individual goals. As I wrote in my last blog, playing hockey means that you are part of something bigger – a team. 

And my teammates and I have an important goal that together we are trying to reach together – winning the 2013 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship. We’re working on it, one step at a time. To say that my teammates and I are excited about the Esso Cup would be the understatement of the year.

In my next blog, I’ll talk more about the Esso Cup, such as what it means to my team to play in and host this amazing national tournament. Until then, dream big!

About “Ghost” Writing: Leading up to and during the 2013 Esso Cup, Canada’s National Female Midget Championship, coming to Burnaby, B.C., this April, several players on the Fraser Valley Phantom of the BC Hockey Female Midget AAA League, will be contributing their thoughts to “Ghost Writing,” a blog about hosting the Esso Cup and everything else female hockey.