Yellowknife student to represent Canada at Finland hockey competition
'I feel really good but I'm also really scared,' says Sahara Lafferty
Sahara Lafferty, a 15-year-old Yellowknife hockey player, is en route to Finland to represent Canada at an international hockey skills competition.
Lafferty is the only Canadian female competing at the event. It's a qualifier for next year's Youth Olympic Winter Games in Norway. She'll be competing against female hockey players from 31 countries.
Lafferty has competed for the territory at the Canada Games before, but it's her first time representing the country. She says it is not often someone from the N.W.T. gets to be the ambassador all of Canada.
"I've always wanted to be like representing my country and I'm excited to meet a lot of new friends from different places," she said.
She's still shocked that she's the one going. Lafferty thought that another girl would be chosen. She doesn't know if the other players are jealous or not, but she says she would be.
Hockey Canada can send only one male and one female player to the competition. To make it fair, they randomly draw a region, and that region chooses a player to send.
When Hockey North, the body which represents the sport in the N.W.T. and Nunavut, was given the chance to choose a female player to send, they picked Lafferty. Carson Focht of Regina is the male player who is also going.
Lafferty, who just finished Grade 9 at Sir John Franklin High School, admits she's under a lot of pressure.
"I feel really good but I'm also really scared," she said.
The competition tests six different skills: fastest lap, accurate shooting, skating agility, fastest shot, precise passing and Lafferty's least favourite — puck control.
Training has proven to be a challenge. With the rinks out at Yellowknife's arenas, Lafferty hasn't been on ice for almost two months. She's had to mimic it at the gym with her trainer, Devin Madsen. They've been lifting weights and working on strengthening Lafferty's legs.
'I want to go to the actual Olympics'
Lafferty says she anticipates one of the hardest parts of the trip will be the nine-hour time difference between the N.W.T. and Finland. It's her first time in Europe.
"My texts [home] are pretty much just going to be like, 'Well I'm going to compete' and then like, 'Well that was a good competition, like good night,'" she said.
"I'm used to texting [my friends] like every minute. [Now] it's going to be like, twice a day."
Lafferty's been packing her bags for several days. She's bringing 800 Yellowknife, N.W.T. and Canada pins to trade with other players.
"They are all in my hockey bag. It does put weight in my hockey bag but not a lot," said Lafferty.
The competition begins Monday and Lafferty isn't sure if she will get to practise on the ice before then.
"Getting on the ice after two weeks is hard… [let alone] two months."
Madsen said he thinks Lafferty will do just fine. He gave her some advice before she left.
"Just have fun. It'll be a great experience... as much as you can get from it, take it."