Laney Martens '20 Recruiting Profile

    When I took my first step onto the ice I was about two, I became devoted to skating. After I moved to Minnesota I started figure skating and grew my strength in balance and edging.  I learned soon enough that I wanted a team environment and more action, figure skating wasn't making the cut. This was the start of my hockey career in rural Minnesota. After a month or two of playing hockey, I learned that hockey was not only a team sport but a family sport.  I learned that my family was also dedicated to helping me better my play and soon we were traveling Minnesota to play games. Playing in Minnesota became the foundation of my hockey career.

    My family relocated to Colorado, and soon after I joined a hockey team well into its season, that year became my transition year to better connect with my team and develop my skills through another coaches eyes.

    Moving to Colorado not only opened up opportunities for hockey, but for some of my other passions as well. This includes playing Viola in the Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra, playing softball on my high school team, and guiding my 14 foot cataraft through some of the best white water in the country. Viola taught me how to read music and look ahead of what I am reading to see what is coming next, softball taught me that I am one working piece in a collective effort, and rafting taught me how to read the river and see where I needed to go. My skills in my other extracurricular activities helped me analysis the game of hockey. Reading the ice, teamwork, and reading the other players to find the opportunities to strike. During my high-school career I learned to balance all of my passions on top of a rigorous academic schedule.

    With my academic schedule, I fell in love with science and all things involving science, and I love to jam as much of science into my schedule as possible, which also makes my schedule never empty. In my college career I plan to pursue a science related degree.

    Currently I am playing 16AA and 19A, and last year I played on a 14AA team and 19A. My Aspen 14AA team came in second place in states and then won regionals to proceed to Nationals for the Rocky Mountain region. My aspiration is to return to nationals on my Aspen 16AA team, for the competitive play and the camaraderie.    

    Through my twisted schedule and supportive family life, hockey has driven me to balance and love everything that I do.