Darby Anderson - Cooper '24 Recruiting Profile

There are many things that make me a good candidate for your team. The first thing that comes to mind is perseverance. My Mom has always encouraged me to do my best, and not make excuses for anything that challenges me. I am a focused, student and work hard. I found hockey much later compared to other players. I have always loved the ice! One day when I was 6 years old I saw people skating and I asked my mom what they were doing. She told me, and I asked her if I could go ice skating. The next week she took me skating for the very first time. She put my skates on and gave me a penguin guide with handles to hold on to as I skated around the rink and she watched. After 45 minutes, I let go of the penguin and at that point, I knew my favorite place to be was on the ice. I remember my mom kept calling me to get off the ice, but I would just look at her and kept skating until the Zamboni forced me off the ice. My mom enrolled me in ice skating lessons soon after, I started competing in figure skating. It was hard to be consistent because of the financial obligations of household expenses, my education and simply raising me, but my mom always found a way to keep me practicing. She enrolled me in clinics, individual lessons, and club teams when we could afford it. 

By the time I was in high school, I decided to try out for the ice hockey team. I remember my mom telling me, are you sure? You have never played ice hockey, but ok, let me see if I can find a pair of skates and at least you can figure out how it feels". I made the team, and have played every year since then on the Varsity team. It has not been easy because, at the end of my ninth-grade year, the world stopped due to the pandemic. My coaches still had us practice. My sophomore year was one of the hardest years of my life academically, socially, and mentally. Luckily, my school has always provided a foundation for students to understand when to reach out for help. I went to my mom and told her, I think I need help. She asked me a few questions and the next thing I know, she found help for me with the support of my amazing school. I remember the Principal and the school guidance counselor working so closely with my mom. I found out then, that I have a learning difference. It was almost a relief. Long story short, I worked hard to execute the plan, and my Principal and the President supported me by creating a plan that was suited just for me. Although it was hard, challenging, and embarrassing because I saw my other classmates moving along. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I discovered so many awesome characteristics about myself, and I discovered the gift of being able to work with other students who have severe intellectual challenges by taking classes in Introduction to Special Education and being a camp counselor for the Moreau Program at my school. 

Now that I am a rising senior, I plan to play ice hockey in college and major in early childhood development, or one of the sciences, so I can further my career by going to medical school to become a pediatrician specializing in developmental growth in children with special needs. In 2022, I completed The Blake Bolden Mentorship initiative. Blake Bolden is the second female scout for the WNHL and the first African American Woman to play for the WNHL. Although I am not one who enjoys the "spotlight" and prefer focusing quietly on the task at hand, I am coachable, very focused, talented, a hard worker, a role model, and dedicated. I was a Miss Teen USA finalist class of 2019 and 2020, Top Teens of America, Round House Theater Intern Program working with students,  and the Civil Justice program at my school.  My mom always tells me now that I have found something I love, that  I am just starting to scratch the surface of who I am, my abilities, and what I can bring to the game of hockey, or anything I put my mind to. Once I really tap into that, I will be unstoppable. My goal for hockey is to play on a college team and then go professional to grow as a person and contribute to the field of medicine. 

The fact that I started ice hockey as a freshman in high school (now a sophomore), makes me even more passionate about my position, and understand that improving my skill is something that never stops. I have to work harder and focus more intensely than even the best player on my team because I actually enjoy working harder to keep up with even the best player while recognizing where I fit in as a player. Meeting myself where I am, and growing from there.