Saskatoon Blades player chases ultimate hockey dream
New Saskatoon Blades player lived in Los Angeles on his own when he was only 13
At 16-years-old, Cameron Hausinger has the maturity of someone many years older. Which is probably due, in part, to the sacrifices he and his family have made to pursue his love of hockey.
Hausinger is from Anchorage, Alaska and he begins his WHL career tonight with the Saskatoon Blades.
How he got this far is a tale in itself.
Around six years ago, the hockey-loving Hausinger family, five children, four of them boys, packed up their life in Alaska and moved to Los Angeles so that Cameron's two older brothers could play Bantam hockey. There are leagues in Alaska, but they said the competition isn't as strong as California.
Cameron spent Grades 5 and 6 in L.A. The following year the family, except for Cameron's two older brothers, moved back to Anchorage. But by Grade 8, Cameron and his parents decided he should return to L.A. on his own to play hockey. He was only 13.
"Honestly it was the most exciting experience ever," Cameron said.
"Definitely when I talk to parents these days and they ask me when I left, and I tell them I was 12 or 13, they look at their kid and say they would never be able to send them away at that age."
If you feel as though there is an opportunity that your kid is driven enough and they want to pursue a dream you really can't hold somebody back at that point.- Ken Hausinger
Cameron's father said, as parents, they were afraid to let go of the control they have or give up the time they want with their children to instill strong values.
But they saw a maturity in Cameron that isn't typical.
"Even at a young age, when he was 7, 8, 9-years-old, he was the kind of kid that [was] responsible. He would take care of his own personal space and go above and beyond," Ken Hausinger said. Communication tools such as Skype and Facetime help the family stay in regular contact.
When people question his and his wife's decision to let Cameron live on his own so young, Ken responds by saying every child is unique and learns to cope without their parents at different stages. He added that it's hard to stand in the way of a dream.
"If you feel as though there is an opportunity, that your kid is driven enough and they want to pursue a dream, you really can't hold somebody back at that point."