Columbus teen's dedication to hockey pays off with scholarship honor

It's a story that's often told -- a young boy or girl puts on the skates for the first time, steps onto the ice and immediately falls in love with that magical feeling of gliding across the frozen surface, igniting a lifelong love affair with not just skating but the sport of hockey.
This isn't quite one of those stories.
For Sophia Stevenson, she first took the ice at age 7 when her father took her and her twin brother, Cole, to learn to skate classes. And it's fair to say the Columbus native didn't exactly catch the skating bug immediately.

"At first I was really mad because I was like, 'Why do I have to do this? There's stuff I'd rather do,'" the now 17-year-old Stevenson says with a laugh. "I just didn't really feel like I could do hockey. I played other sports like soccer and I did karate at the time, but I still was like, 'I don't really want to do this.'
"Then when I started playing with other girls, just the atmosphere felt amazing. Being able to be on the ice at least once a week or sometimes even more than that, it just felt great, so I just fell in love with the sport when I started playing."
A decade later, that decision to stick it out on the ice has paid dividends for Stevenson. Working her way up the ranks in the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, the Blue Jackets grant partner that has introduced thousands of kids across central Ohio in the city to hockey, she's made lifelong friends, become a regular volunteer giving back to others, and has a passion for the sport that will stick with her the rest of her life.
She's also been chosen as one of the seven winners in the winter 2021 scholarship contest held by the Black Girl Hockey Club. The mission of Black Girl Hockey Club is to inspire and sustain passion for the game of hockey within the Black community, particularly with young women, while growing the game in Black communities across North America.
Stevenson joins winners from not just the United States but all over the world, with scholarships in this round of awards going to girls aged 8-17 in Kenya, the Toronto area, Seattle, Chicago and Raleigh, N.C.
To apply, the athletes wrote an essay reflecting on how the scholarship would help strengthen their confidence and abilities and how they see themselves positively impacting hockey culture to be more inclusive to women and people of color. The Metro High School student won a $3,000 award, the second largest given by the BGHC this cycle.
"It was so exciting finding out that I had won the award," Stevenson said. "It was just a surprise when I found out, but I'm definitely happy about it. I signed up for it during the fall of 2020 and I didn't get it then, and then Coach John (Haferman) told me to sign up again. I was like, 'OK, I might as well try it again,' and when I got it, I was like, 'Wow.'"
For Haferman, the executive director and co-founder of the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, seeing Stevenson qualify for the honor is yet another success story for his organization that breaks down barriers and introduces the sport to boys and girls from diverse communities across the capital city.
"She's definitely a quality young lady," Haferman said. "It's one of those bittersweet moments. You're coming to the end of their career with CIHC, but it's all part of the process. She's one of the shining lights."
Hockey wasn't foreign to the Stevenson household, as Sophia and Cole attended games with their father, a season ticket holder, growing up. But as their participation in the sport has grown, it has been able to create plenty of memorable experiences, such as the chance to take part in the Willie O'Ree Skills Weekend with the CIHC two years ago in Philadelphia.

Sophia's experiences on the ice also have helped her become a more confident person. One example of that came at the annual Sarah Backstrom Memorial Tournament last month in Erie, Pa., where Stevenson turned heads with her leadership on and off the ice.
"I was very shy when I was younger," she said. "It wasn't because I was scared of people, I just didn't talk to them. Slowly I started talking to people because obviously I have to be able to talk to teammates to be able to play with them. Gradually I worked my way up and became more confident in the way I played and being able to talk to people as well.
"There was a tournament a couple of weeks ago where a girl was hitting our goalie after the whistle has blown, so like I pushed her down and we were pushing back and forth for a second. Everyone was screaming my name like, 'Sophia! Sophia!' It was kind of funny to be able to do that."
Haferman has seen that more confident, assertive side of Stevenson develop as she's gotten older.
"It's funny, she used to be super shy," Haferman said. "She wasn't sure she wanted to play hockey. And over (that) weekend, she was probably one of our best players. She just came out of her shell and was talking on the bench, telling players where they should be. She was making incredible plays that we always thought were inside of her. I've had so many parents come up and say, 'What did you feed Sophia? Where did that come from?'
"It's always cool when they start to blossom, and then you just wonder, how bright is their future? She's a remarkable young lady."
Part of that shyness at first, Stevenson said, was because she was still finding her way in a sport that is searching for ways to diversify and prove the mantra that hockey is for everyone. As a result, being a representative face in the sport is something that is important to her.
"When I was younger, there weren't that many other girls that looked like me," she said. "That was part of me being so shy because no one looked like me other than my brother, so I definitely want to be a face for girls and people of color to show that hockey truly is for everyone and we shouldn't think that because there's not players that look like us that we shouldn't be able to play the sport."
Looking ahead, Stevenson has applied to three college -- Ohio State and Ohio University, where should would hope to study enviromental science, as well as Coastal Carolina, a school just outside Myrtle Beach near some family where she could major in marine biology.
But her goal is to remain a part of the hockey community wherever she goes next. If it's South Carolina, that could involve joining the school's club team, while if she stays in Ohio, she's likely remain involved on and off the ice with the Columbus Ice Hockey Club.
From those early days of not being sure she wanted to try the sport, Stevenson will find a way to stay involved now that hockey is a part of her life.
"I have no idea what I would do without hockey," she said. "I think it definitely has shaped myself as a person and shown my character. I've been able to build myself up through that and having a family with the other girls I play with and the guys I play with. I have no idea where I'd be without hockey."