Sophomore Lois Kim smacked against the rink floor.

During her first game of her first year of roller hockey, she was flattened by the largest player on the opposing team. “Decked,” she called it.

Lois is the first to admit that she didn’t have the greatest start. Unlike the other players, who, for the most part, played roller in middle school or transferred from an ice team, Lois had to make her transition from figure skating, which wasn’t necessarily easier.

“I’m like the newest player [to hockey], I’m pretty sure,” Lois said. “When I was younger, I used to be a figure skater. So I’m used to skating, but it had been a while since I had stopped before middle school. I still have some habits from figure skating. My posture, the way I stand and how I play isn’t really like a hockey player. You can tell I’m new.”

Initial problems aside, one thing is undeniable: Lois is passionate about the sport.

“The thing that surprised me the most was the extreme pace of the game,” she said enthusiastically. “It’s really fast-paced. You have to stay alert. It’s a really fun team sport.”

Her passion goes further than just the game too. It includes the learning process.

“There is so much I’m learning every time I practice or have a game,” Lois said. “I just hope that every time I play I keep getting better. A lot of the adults have been really encouraging about it. They’ve been trying to tell me things and where to go, what to do, where to position myself, what I’ve been doing wrong; they give me a lot of advice and answer all of my questions.”

Despite being new, her dedication to the game foretells a future of dominant presence on the rink for years to come.

[Originally published in Vol. X of Currents]