Meet Kirsten Roan!

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Kirsten Roan and I’m from Glasgow, Scotland. I’m going to College in August to do Sports Therapy, which I’m really interested in.

I’ve played ice hockey for eight years as a goalie. I played for Kilmarnock Junior Hockey Club for a few years and most recently in the 2018-2019 season, I played in the Women’s Elite League for Kingston Diamonds Elite Team, which was an amazing experience because I met so many amazing players. I have played for Great Britain’s U18 team in 2017 and represented them in Hungary in the Four Corners tournament. I have also played for Scotland’s U15 Squad in 2017 where I played in the Winter Classic tournament in Sheffield. Both of these experiences were absolutely amazing and I have met some great players and made some amazing friends.

I have also played ball hockey for the past couple of years on and off as a player. This 2018/2019 season I have played as much as I could for the Ball Hockey Ayrshire Conference league and played for many women’s teams in the women’s ball hockey league and at women’s days. On the 24th of June I left to play for Great Britain’s U18 Women’s team in Czech at the World Championships, which is a first time event as there has never been a U18 girls’ World Championship before, which is a massive deal for women’s ball hockey and I’m so excited to be a part of it. I have been picked to be the assistant captain for the team, which is a massive honour beside my other assistant captain, Emily Murray and our amazing captain, Jessica Rae.

What made you want to be a WHL Brand Ambassador?

I really wanted to motivate and empower women in this amazing sport and show them that if you work hard, you’ll achieve your goal.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS A #WHLAMBASSADOR?

I’m really excited to talk to other ambassadors and talk to lots of females and try and show them how fun this sport is and how you can meet amazing people.

WHAT’S SOMETHING NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I’m honestly an open book and don’t have any secret talents or funny quirks, however, me as a person, I am an extremely energetic person that will do anything to try and cheer a person up and make them laugh.

IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN AND HAVE DINNER WITH ONE FEMALE HOCKEY PLAYER, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

I would sit down with Manon Rhéaume as she is an inspiration being the first woman, never mind first female goalie, to play in any of the major North American pro sports leagues. She signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL and appeared in a pre-season game. I would love to hear her story and learn from her.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN IN HOCKEY OR IN LIFE?

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up”. This is a really important quote to me because through past experiences quitting and giving up was an option and if I took it and just gave up, I wouldn’t have met many of my amazing friends or had so many great opportunities and experiences. Moral of the story, keep going on, keep persevering because if you keep going the people or things holding you down won’t win.

Want to be a #WHLAmbassador?

Apply here!