A Port Lambton teenager is making some noise in the women’s hockey world.
Brooke ‘Gus’ Lauwers has been selected to attend the RushHockey Rising Stars event in June.
Gus was was asked to attend the “invite only” camp by Kelly Katorji, a hockey scout who owns and operates RushHockey.
Katorji has ranked Gus in the Top 100 in all of North America for girls ages 12-13 in the Peewee division.
“I’m glad I got to be chosen,” Gus told the Sydenham Current.
“I’ve been playing hockey my whole life and I am glad my parents signed me up in Wallaceburg, so that I can work my way up to a higher level of hockey.”
The Grade 7 student at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Port Lambton said she wants to continue playing hockey as she gets older.
“I want to get a scholarship for university hockey, but I also want to be an eye doctor,” she said.
Gus’ mom Jody Lauwers said her daughter got started in hockey by playing in Wallaceburg.
“She started out in Wallaceburg in the IP program, than when on to Tyke,” Jody said.
“My middle daughter Bailey (who is three years older than Gus) was going into second year Atom and she wanted to go ‘all girls’ and because Wallaceburg didn’t have any all girls teams, we decided to take Bailey up to Mooretown. We asked the coach if Gus could come out and try out for the team and he kind of laughed at us because she was only seven-years-old and coming out of Tyke. He didn’t know us from a hill of beans. We just said let us pay our money and cut her if you don’t like her.”
“She got out on the ice and about a half hour later the coach was up against the window looking at me and Brooke’s Dad like ‘what the heck?’ because she was just a talented hockey player. She made the team and played that year with her sister who was three years older. I was trainer on the bench that year and her dad Chris was assistant coach, so it was one big happy family team that year, that’s for sure.”
Jody said Gus will go to Toronto from June 2 to June 5 for the RushHockey event.
“There is going to be players there from all over North America,” Jody said. “She will have a couple practices with her new team on Thursday. Then she will play two games Friday, two games Saturday and then the finals will be Sunday. It is just an opportunity for her to see the caliber of talent that is out there.”
Jody added: “While we are down there, there is information sessions and seminars for the players and the parents to attend. They will guide us if she wants to try out for the Ladies Juniors or the Olympics. What route we would need to take for her to get university scholarships. The coaching staff will be coaches from colleges and universities from all over North America.”
Gus is also a multi-sport athlete.
She plays on the Sarnia Spirit U 13 Travel Soccer team and is a long distance runner, placing first in the 800m and 1200m races several years in a row at the Lambton County Regional Track Meet. She has also taken home the sports award at school the last few years.
– Submitted photos
