Hello, everyone! My name is Makayla Cooney, and I have been playing hockey for almost seven years. These years have been some of the best of my life! I am in 7th grade, and I go to Sycamore Springs Middle School. In 2023, I moved to Belterra, but I was born in Canada. The home of hockey!

 

Hockey has been my favorite sport since I was a little girl. I’ve always looked up to the great hockey players. When I play hockey, I’m the goalie, which is a hard and very important position in the game. As a goalie, you have to stop pucks with every part of your body while performing agile moves.

 

Two of my favorite hockey goalies are Tuukka Rask and Marc-André Fleury. I’ve admired them since I first started playing hockey. Over the years, I’ve played on several teams, including the Lady Blue Devils, the Blue Devils, the Boston Bruins, and most recently, the Pirates. I practice twice a week at the Crossover in Cedar Park and play a game every Saturday.  

 

When it comes to hockey, the one person who pushes me to be the best I can be is my dad. He’s the one who inspires me to play hockey and encourages me to become a goalie since he is a goalie himself and the coach of my team. My dad continually helps me become a better goalie and a better person.

 

One of my favorite parts of hockey is my teammates. Even when we lose, they always manage to bring a smile to my face.

 

If you’re thinking about becoming a hockey goalie, here are three tips I recommend:

After high school, I plan to attend the University of Texas and get a degree in business. Outside of hockey, I enjoy baking, cooking, reading, drawing, and spending time with my friends. While hockey is my main sport, I also play soccer and softball. Soccer helps me improve my reflexes and teaches me how to work with high energy and build stamina.

 

Without hockey, my life would be very different. Thank you for reading about this big part of my life!