Susan Nelson, a seventh grader at Freedom Area Middle School, is a defensive player for the North Pittsburgh Wildcats hockey team. Due to the fact that Freedom does not have certain sports teams,  like hockey, students have no choice but to either not play or look for a team elsewhere. Nelson has chosen to play hockey for the North Pittsburgh team. Nelson has been playing hockey for seven years; she was inspired by her brother to try the sport. Nelson and her team participated in a tournament in New Kensington, where they won the championship.

Nelson’s favorite game of the tournament was the finals, because even in that “life or death” situation if they lost, they would have made it farther than any other team. Nelson’s favorite part of the tournament was when the offense scored a double hat trick. Nelson noticed that three of the teams she played against in the tournament were Canadian. Nelson believes that Canada is a long way to go for a tournament and is proud of what she and her teammates were able to accomplish. Nelson plans to continue playing hockey throughout the rest of middle school, high school and even college. Nelson wants to continue playing hockey not just for the trophies, but to better herself as a player and a person.