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AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT: Emily Purvis | Australia

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Women's Hockey Life
Women's Hockey Life

MEET EMILY PURVIS! 

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Emily, 23 years old and have only been playing hockey for about two and a half years now. I played field hockey for 10 years prior and decided to try ice hockey when I was invited to a women’s ‘come and try’ day in Adelaide, Australia. As soon as I stepped on the ice, I was hooked! I ended up moving to Canada to play, only six months in, and fell in love with the country and hockey community. I worked at multiple hockey shops, ice rinks and played on multiple teams around the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.
I’ve been a coach and on-ice instructor, score keeper, tournament organizer, gear saleswoman and also learned how to sharpen skates. If I could live and breathe hockey and ice rinks, I’ll be the happiest girl on this planet. I’m now back in Melbourne, Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic, but fully intend on working my way up to play for the Australian Women’s Ice Hockey team!

What made you want to be a WHL Brand Ambassador?

I love the Women’s Hockey Life brand and what it stands for. I am a huge advocate for women in ice hockey and the development of the sport at any age. I wanted to be able to use my social media platforms to be able to further that message and to be able to help grow the sport all over the world, but especially here in Australia.

What are you most looking forward to as a #WHLAMBASSADOR?

I’m most looking forward to being able to boast about representing women in hockey. I’m looking forward to being in a community of like-minded lovers of hockey, and being a part of a hockey family. I’m looking forward to representing the brand and community I love so much, and hopefully I’ll do well here in Australia.

What’s something not a lot of people know about you?

Something not many people might not know about me is that I am actually pretty good at copying a North American accent! While I was in Canada, I picked it up pretty quickly and now confuse a lot of Australians (who don’t know me) by talking in the accent! They often ask where in Canada I’m from!

If you could sit down and have dinner with one female hockey player, who would it be and why?

The one female ice hockey player I would love to meet would be Kendall Coyne. She has done SO much for women in hockey, and I look up to her so much. She really showed the guys that women can not only play too, but play well. She’s always been such an amazing representative for the sport, and she would definitely be one of the top female players I’d love to meet.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given in hockey or in life?

Some amazing advice that I was given was while I was in Canada: I used to get really down on myself when I wasn’t as good as the other players (especially the guys on my team). It was roughly along the lines of “We are all at different points in our journey, there’s no point comparing yourself to others. Look back at how far you’ve come, and be proud, and keep working hard every time you step on the ice.”

Considering I was an Australian who had played hockey for less than a year, playing in Canada was really hard at first. Then my coach told me that, and I realized that I was doing really well considering where I had came from. I ended up being able to keep up with a lot of women’s teams (players who had been playing their whole lives) and most men’s teams too. It’s also a great way to think in life, as we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others!

What’s your dream for women’s hockey?

My dream for women’s hockey is to have enough girls to play at every age level (quite hard here in Australia), and to have an amazing and competitive pool of players to pick from as they grow up and start playing nationally. I’d also love more representation in our hockey gear, as a lot of girls have to wear gear made for men’s body types, or the women’s gear is made for taller and slimmer bodies. I’d love for Australia to be more of a force in higher level competitions and for them to be treated just as well as the guys in the same leagues.
My personal dream is to get back into coaching here in Australia (when the rinks open back up again), and to work harder than I ever have before to work my way up to playing nationally, as then I can keep spreading the word of women’s hockey to more people.

WANT TO JOIN OUR #WHLAMBASSADOR TEAM?

GET MORE DETAILS AND APPLY HERE!

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Women's Hockey Life
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https://WomensHockeyLife.com
Women’s Hockey Life (WHL) focuses on highlighting, promoting and supporting women’s hockey around the world at every level. From youth and university hockey, to the pros and the beer league heroes—we cover it all.
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