Nelson helps bring Ring Pops dek hockey glory

Tewehshon Nelson has added another sport to her repertoire, and she is already making a name for herself by winning the provincial dek hockey tournament.

The 15-year-old goalkeeper joined the Ring Pops, a girls’ dek hockey team, after being invited by some of her fellow ringette teammates. Like most of her teammates, Nelson had never played the sport before but was able to switch to the sport with tons of success.

The Ring Pops competed in the Junior Women’s Series at Dekhockey Saint-Eustache on Saturday, July 11, where they won 5-1 against the Flash Queens, and 1-0 against the Block Shots, taking home the title.

“The first game was kind of intimidating because they were definitely taller and just looked way more intimidating,” said Nelson, who was competing in the age category of M15, blocking goals from girls a year or two older than her.  “But when I got a shutout my first game, I was like, ‘oh this is fine.’ It really boosts my confidence every time it happens,” said Nelson.

Dek hockey shares similarities with ice hockey and ringette but is played on a hard surface without skates.

“It’s pretty fast, it’s non-stop because they don’t do faceoffs. As soon as the whistle goes, they give it to a team,” said Nelson.

When asked why she decided to play dek hockey, Nelson credited her dad for pushing her to try new sports.

“I’m always down to try something new,” said Nelson. “If it involves me being a goalie, then I’ll sign up for it.”

Nelson’s father, Jeffery Nelson, said that dek hockey is experiencing significant growth for girls after years of limited opportunities.

“It’s really only been in the last four or five years that girls are now starting to play,” said Jeffery, who added that two years ago there were only three girls’ teams, four teams last season, and including Ring Pop, eight teams this year.

According to Femme d’Hockey, an organization that highlights women in hockey, dek hockey is experiencing a monumental growth in women’s players throughout Quebec.

“I like how women’s sports are starting to get more recognized, because in the past, it’s always just been men,” said Nelson.

Jeffrey said watching his daughter embrace new challenges has always been rewarding.

“I’ve always been a sports dad,” said Jeffrey, who added that doing all these different sports helps Nelson develop as an athlete. “I love that she’s willing to try new things.”

Nelson doesn’t plan on slowing down, with the dek hockey season running from May through July, Nelson has already shifted her focus to tryouts in August.

She hopes to earn a spot with the Laurentides Double-A program, a competitive sports program for ice hockey.

“I really want to make the team,” said Nelson, adding that she believes her experience in the dek hockey net has prepared her for the tryouts.

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Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter