Morgan Almon '17 Recruiting Profile

This year I am a senior at Pilgrim High School in Warwick, RI.  I have had to make tough decisions throughout my academic and athletic career.  These decisions I hope will propel me to the next stage in life.  I am pursuing a four year degree with a college that will give me the ability to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Biology as well as continue to play hockey at a higher level.

Going into my freshman year, I had to make a tough decision. I had to choose which high school hockey team I wanted to try out for. My two options were the girl’s team or the boys’ team. I wanted to explore both of my options before making a decision. During the summer going into freshman year I went to some of the clinics that the girls’ hockey team ran. I also played summer league hockey with the boys’. After exploring all of my options, I made the decision to try out for the boys’ varsity hockey team instead of the girls’ varsity team.

After making my decision I told my family and friends what I was going to do. My family supported me and so did most of my friends. But others did not understand or agree with what I was doing. I was asked multiple times why are you doing this? are you even good enough to play with them?, why not play with the girls? I never got into arguments with people that asked me these questions. I gave them the answers that I would give anyone. People are allowed to their own opinions. But that does not mean that I have to agree with them. People would tell me that I should not be allowed to play with the boys’. Every time that someone would say this to me I would not yell at them or get into an argument. I would go out onto the ice and prove to them with everything that I had that I did deserve to play with the boys and that I was good enough.

There had been many instances when I was playing with my team that a boy from the other team would maliciously go after me or would say disgusting things to me. A specific time was during my junior year playing with the boys’, we were playing our cross town rival Tollgate. I had just scored a goal and a minute later I was hit by a boy on the opposing team. The hit was not the part that bothered me the most. What bothered me is what was said to me right after I got up from the hit. Two of the boys from the other team were talking smack. But it was not the talking smack that was inappropriate. It was the vulgar terms that they said to me because I am a girl. They were targeting me specifically as a girl. Instances like this have helped me to work harder and to show that life is not always fair, not only in hockey but in life as well.

But not all boys’ treated me like this. The captain of my hockey team freshman year treated me like a teammate. But he also looked out for me on the ice. He stood up for me to other guys when they would maliciously go after me or say things to me. A few of the other seniors did this too. They treated me like one of the guys but also looked out for me like I was their little sister. They made me feel like I was good enough to play with them and that I was part of the team.

During my junior year I was interviewed by the local television station. They wanted to talk to me and questions about how it was playing on the boys’ team and how I was treated. After the interview aired, there was quite a few people who supported what I said but then there were others who did not agree with me. One of the things that people did not agree with was how I said that I feel that a girl should be allowed to play any sport that she wants to. Someone came up to me after my interview aired and told me that they did not agree with anything that I said. It was a person that I had actually looked up to. What I told him after he said that to me have changed his opinion. I told him that he can have his opinion but that I wanted to say one thing and one thing only. I told him that I have been told time and time again that because I am a girl I can’t do this and I can’t do that but you know what. I can do anything that I set my mind to and it is not because I’m a girl. It is because I’m a strong person who will keep pushing until I can’t push anymore. People are allowed to have their opinions but that does not mean I have to agree with them.

I challenged the norm when I decided to play on the boys’ varsity hockey team. Many people supported me but also many people tried to put me down because they did not agree with my decision. If I were given the opportunity to take back my decision, I would not change my mind. Playing with the boys’ hockey team has helped me to become not only a better hockey player, but also a better person. I have become a team player and I have developed leadership skills that will help me throughout the rest of my life.