Hockey Is Teen’s Passion

Teenage girls in figure skates at the Olympic Games are supposed to wear sequined outfits and perform toe loops and salchows.

Sixteen-year-old Lyndsay Wall wears skates. And pads and a helmet. She’s a defenseman on the U.S. women’s hockey team.

She leaves the frilly things to others. Like her sister Ashley, who prefers gymnastics and “girly stuff”, according to their father, Kraig. After six months of checks and slap shots, Lyndsay will probably pass on her junior prom this spring. Hockey’s her passion. Has been ever since she was 5 and Kraig gave her some sticks.

“He just thought I was really energetic and rough and tough, so he thought to throw me into hockey,” Wall said.

Now the family is about to enjoy the reward. It’s payback for the dents and holes Wall put in the garage door of their home in Churchville, N.Y., from firing slap shots, in addition to the damage inflicted on the basement walls from playing inside on rainy days. It’s a reward for the early morning practices, for the years of competing against boys, one of whom broke her collarbone when she was 13.

She’s part of the 20-player U.S. women’s team, that begins defense of its 1998 gold medal today against Germany.

Already, the Olympics have been special. She met President Bush, Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and baseball iron man Cal Ripken before the opening ceremonies on Friday, then heard the crowd roar when the United States was announced and she marched into the stadium during the parade of nations.

“It was just a great experience, especially for someone my age,” Wall said. “To be able to say that I’m in the Olympics, I went to opening ceremonies, I got to meet those people ... that’s something that every 16-year-old doesn’t say.”

“We feel a lot of pride,” her mother, Sandra Wall, said. “Especially [because of] her age. We’re still in shock.”

Wall impressed Olympic Coach Ben Smith with her play at the USA Hockey women’s development camps last July, and he invited her to the women’s national tryouts at Lake Placid, N.Y., the next month. She made the 25-woman roster.

“Then I was like, ‘I might have a chance for this,’” Wall said. “My confidence level really started to build.”

She survived the trim to 20 players in December and wound up playing in 23 games during the team’s 31-game pre-Olympic tour. She has been home only twice since August, living a life of practice and travel.

So Wall must have always been a mature person to handle such a rigorous, adult-like lifestyle, right?

“Uh, no,” her mother said. “She’s grown up a lot. When you’re hanging out with 30-year-olds and you’re 16, you can’t act your age.”

“You have to take care of yourself,” Lyndsay said. “You don’t have your mother to pick up your clothes or do your laundry. You have to remember to do your homework, stuff like that. I have to do it all on my own, you know?”

Wall is taking English and American history classes from Churchville-Chili High School through the Internet, replying to teachers’ questions via e-mail. She’s getting a cultural education as well, with experiences such as a trip to the Great Wall of China when the U.S. women played the Chinese national team.

Her teammates say she fits in, even if at times she does betray her age. The team packed plenty of its own food for overseas trips; Wall’s stash included Pringles and Ho-Ho’s.

Wall is part of a youthful contingent that has provided a nice blend to a team that returns 14 players from the group that won the first women’s hockey tournament in Nagano, Japan, four years ago.

“They bounce off the walls, those guys,” said Cammi Granato, 30. “Julie Chu [19] has more energy than my four-year old niece. She wakes up with a smile on her face, goes to bed with a smile on her face. She brings that excitement and energy. Lyndsay Wall doesn’t even have her license yet. Natalie [Darwitz, 18] and Krissy [Wendelll, 20] are always dancing and singing. Those guys definitely bring a fresh attitude and some high energy.”

The Americans are also revitalized by finally reaching the real competition. They won all 31 games on their pre-Olympic tour.

“We’re the defending champions and it’s in the United Sates and all that stuff,” said goaltender Sarah Tueting, who will alternate with Sara DeCosta during the games. “We know the reasons why the pressure’s there, but we also know we’re in control of whether we let it affect us.

“We would be stupid and foolish to overlook anybody.”

Finland, which won the bronze in Nagano and finished third in six of the seven women’s World Championships, is the biggest threat among the three other teams in the United States’ preliminary round group. They wouldn’t face Canada until the medal round.

For Wall, the hardest part might not be the Olympic competition. It might be the return to high school life.

“I’m not going to be used to getting up at 6:30 in the morning and going to school,” Wall said. “I’m going to be used to hanging out, eating whatever I want. Just doing like a grownup does.”