Leah Herrfort wins gold with Staff Canada at World College Video games
PALMERSTON – An area youth who discovered to skate and play hockey right here not too long ago grew to become a world champion on the college hockey degree.
College of Waterloo Warriors ahead Leah Herrfort was a part of Canada’s girls’s hockey workforce on the FISU (Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire) World College Video games held in Lake Placid.
The workforce, comprised of high gamers from throughout the nation, took the gold medal with a 5-0 win over Japan on Jan. 21.
For Herrfort, the second was unforgettable.
“It’s loopy since you watch different athletes on TV or on the Olympics – and I do know it wasn’t the Olympics – however on the finish of the day, you’re sporting a maple leaf in your chest and also you get a gold medal round your neck … that was only a cool feeling in itself and sitting again and that, I’m like ‘Holy crap, I’m a world champion,’” Herrfort instructed the Group Information in a Jan. 30 phone interview.
Herrfort started determine skating with the native membership in Palmerston on the age of 4, and taking part in within the Minto Minor Hockey system on the age of 5. She later switched to women hockey with the Saugeen-Mailtland Lightning the place she performed AA on the Pee Wee and Bantam ranges.
“From there I went to Cambridge for junior hockey,” she defined.
Not a one-dimensional athlete, Herrfort additionally performed high-calibre softball with the Palmerston Marlins as a youth and continues to play with the Marlins on the grownup degree.
After graduating from Norwell District Secondary College, Herrfort spent two years at Union School in Schenectady, New York, earlier than transferring to the College of Waterloo, the place she is in her second 12 months of economics research.
LEAH HERRFORT
Final summer season, Herrfort’s coach with the UW Warriors suggested her she was on the radar of the Staff Canada choice panel. In late November she discovered she could be on the nationwide college workforce.
For the FISU competitions, the ultimate and semi-final video games have been held in on the Olympic Centre, a 7,700-seat venue the place the 1980 Olympic hockey competitions have been held.
“It was cool … It might have been extra packed if it was the ultimate in opposition to the U.S., however we really put them out within the spherical robin. They needed to beat us to advance,” Herrfort remembers.
“That sport in opposition to the U.S., it was bought out. There was not a single seat open.
“We ended up beating them 2-1, however that was a fantastic sport, it was our closest sport by far.”
In all, Staff Canada went undefeated via seven video games to earn the gold medal.
Modest when requested about her particular person accomplishments, Herrfort mentioned, “I did fairly effectively. I scored three or 4 targets.”
A verify of the event stats reveals Herrfort had 4 targets and 4 assists in the event, together with a purpose within the essential Jan. 18 preliminary spherical win over the U.S. and a purpose and an help within the gold medal sport.
Leah mentioned her dad and mom, Darcy and Kim Herrfort, attended a number of the event video games and an aunt was additionally available for a part of the event, offering her with some household to have a good time with in addition to her teammates.
As she works towards her economics diploma, Herrfort notes she is eligible for 2 extra years of college hockey, which may permit her to compete in one other bi-annual FISU world championship.
“It might be sort of cool to remain for that,” she commented.
