Seventeen-year-old Jessica Sibley keeps climbing the ladder of her hockey success story. Jess is athletic and loves playing all sports, but it was the rink she was always drawn back to.
She started playing hockey at age four. She played in Luseland and the area until Grade 9 when she made the decision to attend school elsewhere to pursue her hockey goals.
Jess moved to Weyburn for two years to play with the Weyburn AAA Redwings. She then chose to move to Warner, Alta. and play in the Junior Women's Hockey League and has been there since Grade 11. Jess has also been part of Team Saskatchewan three times, this year being her third season with the team and this year she was named captain of this Team Sask. They will be competing in early November in Dawson Creek, B.C. for the U18 Canadian championship.
"It was a wonderful feeling and great honour to be named captain of both my Warner team and Team Saskatchewan. Being able to represent your province is a great accomplishment," said Jess.
She also adds that she has made some decisions as far as pursuing hockey past Grade 12. "I knew I had a tough decision deciding where to go post-graduation. I went to Syracuse and visited the campus and coaches. I knew by the end of that trip that Syracuse is where I wanted to go. I could just visualize myself there and it felt like the best fit.
"I knew I wanted to continue my hockey aspirations either in Canada or the USA, but even having the option to play in this elite level is a great feeling. It shows me that my hard work has paid off."
Jessica's mom, Tanis Sibley, says, "It was a hard transition from watching her play every weekend to seeing three or four times a year. I am her biggest fan. She texts me after every game to let me know how things went."
Her determination and focus on hockey was developed at a young age and since then she has continued to reach her goals on the ice.
"She got her first goal in her fifth game of initiation and became more determined than ever to achieve at a higher level," explains Sibley. "It was a big decision choosing what she wanted because she loved every sport she competed in. I think she had some very strong coaching from Dean Campbell to Lyle Westman in her early years and great family support.
"She played Sask. Can in the summer and her coach Les Pethick was a great mentor."
"I just remember hearing when she was skating that she was a natural," says Jessica's dad Kevin. "Jess enjoyed hockey so much and because of natural abilities in it and a no fear attitude, as well as her true leadership qualities on the ice, combined with her drive to be like her idol, Hayley Wickenheiser, Jessica's destiny was set."
Kevin lives overseas and relies heavily on Skype, Facebook, Twitter, email and Jess's mom for updates.
"It is an amazing feeling to have people/strangers come up to you and speak highly of your daughter's accomplishments," explains Kevin. " We have supported her 110 per cent, but the level of achievement she has attained has been all her doing.
"Our motto with Jess has always been 'If you dream it, you can do it.' To say that we are proud can't even encompass the feelings we have about the success she is experiencing."
