University of Minnesota Athletics
Five Minutes with Sophie Skarzynski
12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- Sophomore Sophie Skarzynski shares her take on the start of the season and versatility on the ice, along with discussing her volunteer work with the Herb Brooks Foundation, as the No. 2 Golden Gopher women's hockey team prepares to face No. 1 Wisconsin on the road this weekend.
Gopher Sports: How have you been handling the team's lack of balanced scoring this year?
Sophie Skarzynski: It's definitely frustrating, but at the end of the day it's not about who scores but rather how we've done as a team. We're making sure we are giving all we have out on the ice. You want to win at the end of the day, but one of our values is making sure we're giving that effort every day, day in and day out. It's definitely frustrating, but I'm going to keep working on it and try to get my shots to the net. We have so many power forwards this year, so the top line is generating a ton of points for us. We can see that and now some other lines are generating that as well. We just have to keep that going forward.
GS: How do you feel your season is going so far?
SS: I think it's going well. Like everyone, there is always stuff I can work on. I was talking to JJ last week, especially about working on getting shots through to the net. Every team we play, especially in the WCHA, has solid D-zone coverage. So just making sure to pick my head up and make sure the shot gets through from the point and solid D-zone. Always have to play defense first as a defenseman.
GS: You saw time at both forward and defense as a freshman. What's it like having experience playing both positions?
SS: This year I have just stayed on defense, but if I do get the call to go up to forward I'll be ready. It's nice because I have good supportive teammates and if I do get thrown up there in practice they're like, 'Know what you're doing?' and I say, 'I sure hope so.' We have a ton of good forwards though so I have a feeling I'll be staying back on defense but if I do get the call up, I'll be ready and just do whatever it takes to win for the team.
GS: What's the most important thing you learned from your freshman year?
SS: I think one of the most important things I learned from freshman year was every day, every game you never know what is going to happen. You don't know if things are going to go your way or not go your way or if they're going to the team's way or not. You need to make sure no matter what happens, you mentally prepared and can control your emotions. It's something I still work on and it's something the team continues to work on, to control the controllables. That's something I learned freshman year that I will continue to work on for the rest of my three years here. Just control what I can.
GS: How did you get involved with Herb Brooks Foundation?
SS: I interned for them this past summer, and it was a great experience. I'm very good friends with Anissa Lightner, who is the head of the M.A.G.I.C. program for the student-athletes here at the U. I was really active within the organization especially in the second half of my freshman year. I volunteered for the Herb Brooks Foundation and met some of the leaders of the organization. I connected with them and they said they were looking for some interns and thought I would be great for it. I was going to be on campus for training and school over the summer, so it worked out really well. I was very happy with the work I got to do for them and seeing my work give back to the community. I got to watch kids learn how to skate and fall in love with the sport just like I did when I was their age.
GS: What was the most challenging part about working with young kids?
SS: For me, it was very eye-opening because we were working with kids from all sorts of different financial and family backgrounds. Some of them came from a great home life and some of them had never even really had a parental figure. For me, it was the most challenging to be aware of that without even discussing it with anybody. Rather I'd just acknowledge what the situation is and use that time with them to help them escape and find a happy place. It was great to use the sport of ice hockey, a sport that I love, to them what it means to fall in love with the sport and have passion for it. It was so rewarding, definitely challenging at first, but the kids and their reactions and smiles made it worthwhile every day.
GS: What was the most fulfilling part of your experience with the foundation over the summer?
SS: On my last day working with the Foundation over the summer in July, it was an accumulation of all the kids I had worked with over the summer at an event. It was so awesome to see some of these kids who had never skated before at the start of the summer to be able to go and skate by themselves. They would smile and say, "Hey Sophie, look, I know how to skate!" Even more so, the things they learned off the ice that their parents, nannies, or whomever would share with me. They explained how things the kids learned on the ice were transitioning for them off the ice.
GS: What are the volunteer efforts like from University of Minnesota student-athletes?
SS: One of the values Coach Frost instills into us is gratefulness, and I think one way to show how grateful we are for this program and our facilities and support from fans is to give back and to volunteer. It's not even something we discuss, it's kind of just implied. For a lot of us, we don't even need to be told. We just go out there and volunteer. It's really fun, especially the way the University of Minnesota athletic department sets it up where we have the opportunity to volunteer locally and then in the suburbs with our fellow Gopher athletes. We tend to make a few friends along the way, too.
Skarzynski and the Gophers wrap up the first half of the regular season with a pair of road trips, beginning with a trip to Madison, Wis., to face No. 1 Wisconsin this Saturday and Sunday.
Listen to Skarzynski's complete interview hosted by the voice of Gopher women's hockey, Dan Hamann.
Skarzynski's Favorites...
Favorite food: Chicken Caesar Salad
Favorite musician: Taylor Swift
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite movie: American Sniper
Favorite TV show: Greys Anatomy
Favorite sport other than hockey: Soccer
Favorite practice drill: Chance
Favorite class at the U: Analysis of Argument
Favorite spot on campus: Kafe 421
Favorite book: The Fault in Our Stars
Favorite motivational quote: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Favorite candy: Snickers
Favorite restaurant: Maggianos
Favorite animal: Bulldogs
Favorite post-game meal: Steak
Favorite holiday: Easter
Role model: Steph Curry
Favorite thing to do in your spare time: Hang with my family in Chicago
Favorite thing about the Twin Cities: City life
First job you had: Nanny
Biggest fear: Being kidnapped
Favorite super hero: Superman
Who would play you in a movie: Reese Witherspoon
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