Athlete finds success

By Owen Sweeney

Staff Writer

Ian Gould is a ninth grade hockey player who goes to Everest Public High School. He is a skilled athlete who plays in a highly competitive hockey league that travels all over the country. His team is top 10 in the state for U16 AA.

 1.  What’s your favorite sport, and why?

“My favorite sport is hockey because I like the pace and physicality of the sport, plus I’ve been playing for a long time.”

2.  How many sports have you played in the past? What are they?

He’s played six sports in his lifetime. He said he played soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, football, and, of course, hockey.

3. Do you put a lot of outside work into your sports? Why or why not?

“I workout twice a week outside of hockey,” he said. He mentioned that he shoots pucks in his backyard a couple times a week; he loves doing it.

 4.  Do you think you would play sports in college? Why or why not?

“Yes,” he said. “Only if the college has a club team – I don’t want to play division one or three. I want to put school over sports, since school is a lot more important.”

 5.  Do you consider yourself a good athlete? Why do you think that?

He said he’s a very good athlete in his mind. “I’m good at most sports I play,” he said. He also said he is in very good shape from working out and playing hockey and other sports.

 6.  Would you ever consider a career in sports? Why?

“No, it takes a ton of skill to make the pro league. To make the pros you also need to put in a ton of time and effort to make it that far.” He doesn’t see it happening at all, but he will continue to play for fun.

 7.  Do you think you would stop sports anytime soon? Why or why not?

“No, I’m not going to stop playing hockey.” The soonest he says he’ll stop will be in college. “I’ve been playing hockey for eight years; I would never quit any time soon; I like playing a lot.”

 8.  Do you travel anywhere for your sports – where to?

He said he travels a lot for hockey, and he loves it. “I’ve been to Canada, Michigan, Chicago, Southern California, Arizona, Tahoe and Nevada.” He travels to Southern California almost every other month for hockey.

 9.  How do you spend your off season?

“I train a lot during the off season. I go to the gym at least four times a week during summer to stay in shape.” He added that he played in a summer hockey league to keep his hockey skills up to par. If he falls behind and doesn’t work during the off season, then he will be at a big disadvantage.

 10.  What advice do you have for future athletes?

“Always put school before hockey; never fall behind in school. You might have to stay up late to finish homework, or skip practice one time even if your coach will get mad,” he said. “Always thank your parents; they have to make sacrifices themselves to bring you to games and practices. Be grateful that you can play sports – not all kids have the opportunity to.”