WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bishop Kearney 19-and-under girls hockey team experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Thursday with a visit to the Oval Office.
The BK Selects, national champions, traveled from Monroe County to the U.S. Capitol to cap off their season with this unique experience.
“Our team won’t ever be the same team again so an opportunity to get the group together again and experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment. What a way to end the season. What a way to cap off the season,” Chelsea Walkland said.
Nela Lopusanova expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, saying, “I’ve never thought about it that we could go there and this opportunity’s really big and I’m really grateful for that.”
The visit highlighted the growing presence of girls’ hockey in the United States.
“For him to recognize that Rochester’s on the map here with BK,” Lia Cericola said.
Chloe Brinson shared her excitement, “Being in the moment. You don’t get to do this every day and honestly I’ve never heard of anybody else having the same opportunity rather than the top sports teams.”
Cericola added, “Not very common for youth teams to head to the White House or teams to get special treatment in the White House in general.”
“It’s just for us and for the whole program, everybody’s going to see that we can actually play hockey and we’re the best,” Lopusanova said.
The team hopes future BK players will also have similar experiences.
“We have a 16 program as well, so those players can look up to the 19s and hopefully realize it’s something that they can accomplish and want to accomplish,” Walkland said.
Brinson encouraged dreaming big, “Just dream big, because you never know what’s going to show up later in life. I mean, visiting the White House I think is a prime example for us, never would have thought of that.”
Walkland added, “Maybe you’ve got a future BK President, who knows? Inspiration’s everywhere and I think the opportunity for our student athletes to come in and see what happens at such a historic spot maybe sparks inspiration for them down the road, who knows?”
The team left inspired, hoping their visit would fuel future achievements.
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