Zoe Kunick '23 Recruiting Profile

Growing up, I had aspirations of becoming a collegiate gymnast. From ages four through thirteen, I trained over twenty hours a week, won multiple all-around titles including the 2018 Wisconsin State Level 7 championship, and was progressing towards my goals until the sport I loved, no longer loved me. After winning the state title, a centimetre and a half portion of bone broke off in my elbow, and while the surgery was a success, I was forced to end my gymnastics career. I was devasted. With so much of my character and identity being defined by sport, I knew that in order to recover from losing my passion, I would have to find a new sport. I couldn’t see myself on the soccer pitch or volleyball court. I was used to participating in an activity with a select few, so I went through all the sports in my community, and when I saw the local arena hosting a girls try hockey event, I thought “yeah, hockey. I could see me playing hockey.”

Two months after my elbow surgery, I laced up skates and put on equipment for the first time in my life. After the session a coach followed me out of the rink and said she didn’t believe that I hadn’t played before, and that she was looking forward to coaching me that season. On the way home, I asked if I could get my own gear because I was going to need equipment to play. Two years later, I am playing Tier 1 AAA hockey for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. I think that makes me different from other candidates—I positively react to setbacks. I can see opportunity to use my athleticism to make the best out of any given situation. I might not be the most skilled player in the ice, but I know that I’m years behind in hockey, so I work that much harder to keep up.

In the short time I’ve played hockey, I’ve discovered that I am at my best with a team. Even though gymnastics is a team sport, I always wanted to be better than my teammates because placing as an individual is emphasized. In hockey, I don’t want to be the best on the team, I want to be best for the team.