For one hockey player, lots of adjustments
George Jones
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Sports
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Hold up. That last name is quite unusual. Kayla DeVault, in her second year on the ice hockey team, has adjusted well to both college and a new hockey surface.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, DeVault had hockey in her childhood.
"I always wanted to play when I was little because my brother was playing it since he was four, and my parents wouldn't let me," said DeVault. "I finally got into it when I started reffing at 14. My parents then let me play roller hockey. I did a lot of roller, but I didn't do any ice until last year when I came to Case. I wanted to start an inline team here, but I couldn't make it happen, so I stuck with playing ice, and I've liked it."
"I played all kinds of different sports, and I've always liked playing with guys more than all-girls teams. It's more interesting," added Devault. "It's something I've always wanted to try, and it's one of the only sports that I've done that actually has stuck."
She started becoming a serious hockey player in 2006. "I actually created the inline team at my school. That year, I tried out for the Women's Team USA program, I made it, and I played in the junior Olympics for the under-18 team," said DeVault.
Her transition from the roller blade to the thin blade has been steady. "I've at least ice skated before, so I didn't have to learn how to ice skate, but I've heard from others that the harder transition from inline to ice rather than the other way around," said Devault, "but I think probably the most difficult part is that I play at such a higher level on inline that whenever I transition to ice I'm expecting myself to play at that level, and I'll try to do the same advanced movements as I would do in inline, but then I forget that I'm on a different surface and I mess up, it kind of catches me off guard." Playing for the Cleveland Heights Raptors women's ice hockey team, she scored the team's lone goal in a 2-1 loss on Oct. 18.
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