St. Thomas hockey player invited to national development camp
Hockey player Kelty Apperson is coming off one of her best seasons with the St. Thomas University women's hockey team and people around the sport have noticed.
Apperson's success has been rewarded by an invitation to Hockey Canada's Women's Development Camp at the beginning of August.
Apperson is one of 20 players going to the camp. She got the email in early June from the camp's coaching staff asking if she was able to go and that evening, she accepted.
"Obviously hands down, [in a] heartbeat, I was like, 'Yes!' I immediately accepted," said Apperson.
"You have to reply with some details and I was just like, boom! Right away I was like yes I'm coming regardless of whatever is going to happen I'll find a way."
Apperson is going into her fifth year with the St. Thomas Tommies.
She was the MVP of the Atlantic University Sports league for women's hockey last season. She also led her team to the championship series and to a spot at nationals.
"The past year that I had was pretty strong so I was recognized for it by getting this invite. So that played a big factor," said Apperson.
The camp happens every two years.
When Apperson was in her third year she saw some players in her league go to the camp. That got her thinking about making the next one.
"Coming into my fifth year I was really hoping I could get an opportunity to play for them so I was hoping it was coming up and when I got that email I was pretty excited," she said.
A chance at the national team
Getting the selection was emotional for Apperson, a validation of all the hard work she has put in over the years.
"It was a big honour. When I first got it there was a little tear coming out of my eye," she said.
"It's a lot of hard work you have to put in to get to that point. It's a lot of time. It doesn't just happen overnight."
The camp will include fitness tests, on-ice practice, scrimmages and classroom sessions.
The camp isn't just to improve players — it also serves as a tryout for Canada's team, which competes in the International University Sports Federation. That includes a tournament in Kazakhstan in January.
While Apperson would love to earn a selection onto the team, she isn't worried about not making it. She said she expects to gain a lot from going to the camp.
"If I don't make the team, that's part of life. I'll definitely learn a lot and be challenged. There's going to be girls there that are super talented and I'll be learning from them. It will just be unique," she said.
