{"id":11448,"date":"2025-03-01T05:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T05:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/?p=11448"},"modified":"2025-03-01T17:21:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T17:21:43","slug":"meet-ella-eisenberg-form-v-the-only-girl-on-the-boys-varsity-ice-hockey-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/2025\/03\/meet-ella-eisenberg-form-v-the-only-girl-on-the-boys-varsity-ice-hockey-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Ella Eisenberg (Form V), The Only Girl On The Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201cBirds of Prey\u201d showdown is a cherished annual tradition. Year after year, avid crowds of students pack the stands to watch the heated on-ice face-off between Riverdale and Fieldston. But this year, something untraditional occurred. Ella Eisenberg (Form V) \u2013 perhaps an apt nickname is\u00a0 \u201cIce\u201d-enberg \u2013 stepped on the ice as the first girl on the Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team in three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But being the only girl on an all\u2013boys team has its challenges. Eisenberg said, \u201cThere are many times in life when it seems women have to be better than men in order to be treated equally, and I think that was a bit of a similar situation here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since joining the team as a freshman, she quickly recognized the wide range of skill levels on the team and understood that her role might be limited. \u201cI knew I\u2019d have to work harder to make up for my size and physical ability,\u201d she explained, \u201cIn a male-dominated sport, there will always be inherent challenges and stereotypes you encounter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A knee injury sidelined Eisenberg for a month during her first season. After her recovery, she was determined to keep up with her teammates and trained relentlessly to make up for lost time. In the spring, she spent hours skating before and after school, and over the summer, she pushed herself even further by attending elite tournaments and intense camps. \u201cThe effort I put in paid off because now I\u2019m playing in every game,\u201d she declared proudly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, despite this major accomplishment, Eisenberg still experiences the isolation of being the only female player on the team. Being separated from the main locker room means she often misses out on pre-game and post-game speeches from the coaches. And the designated changing room isn\u2019t always a proper locker room. \u201cI get put in \u2018locker rooms\u2019 ranging from hot storage rooms to dimly lit closets,\u201d she shared. \u201cOne time, I even had to get dressed in a tiny space between shelves of rental skates, where it smelled like dirty socks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eisenberg also worries about the broader lack of female players in the sport, saying, \u201cI always worry, sort of in the back of my head, if the organization I play for is going to have enough interest to field a girls’ team since there is a small volume of female players. At the end of every season, I always ask myself, \u2018Will this be my last year?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard for Eisenberg to picture a life without hockey. \u201cIt has become such a central and defining part of my identity that I can\u2019t picture what it will feel like when I\u2019m no longer playing,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Source: Jkimphotography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Raised in a household of devoted fans, Eisenberg\u2019s passion for hockey began at a young age. She was introduced to the sport as a toddler. \u201cThere are videos of me at 18 months, barely able to form full sentences, watching hockey with my dad and commenting on the game,\u201d she recalled. She officially started playing at age nine, and in middle school, she met Coaches Keith and Kirk, who led both her club team and later Fieldston\u2019s team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though uncertain about her future aspirations in hockey, Eisenberg hopes to play club hockey in college as a way to meet new people in an unfamiliar environment. Hockey, she shared, \u201chas introduced me to a community of like-minded individuals with a die-hard passion for the sport.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hockey has been more than just a fun sport to play and watch for Eisenberg, however \u2013 it has shaped her understanding of teamwork, tenacity and success. \u201cIt isn\u2019t an individual sport by any means,\u201d she explained, \u201cIf you\u2019ve ever watched professional hockey, you\u2019d quickly see how effectively and quickly they pass the puck because that\u2019s the only way you can be successful at higher levels. Assists are just as important as the goals, and success is achieved by all, not through individual efforts.\u201d She also mentions that success isn’t handed to anyone. Rather, she remarked, \u201cIt is earned through countless hours of effort and perseverance through barriers that inherently slow you down.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Eisenberg emphasizes the value of resilience and modesty. She quotes Chris Pronger, an ice hockey defenseman and Hall of Famer, \u201cPronger put this really well when he said, \u2018The game is a game of mistakes. And how you deal with them and correct them and all the things like that is what makes this game great and makes hockey the sport it is.\u2019\u201d For her, the ability to recover from mistakes – like missing the puck and allowing the other team to score, then immediately bouncing back and assisting a teammate\u2019s goal – is what makes hockey so rewarding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted, \u201cI think having humility and learning to laugh at my mistakes is essential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Source: Jkimphotography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For other girls looking to start hockey or other male-dominated sports, Eisenberg offered some advice: \u201cBe ready to work harder than everyone else because you\u2019re going to encounter numerous coaches who will want to disparage your abilities and label you as just a girl, but it\u2019s important to have respect for yourself and be ready to put in the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added, \u201cDon\u2019t allow these remarks to undermine your confidence because your mindset plays a huge role in your success as an athlete, and if you keep pushing yourself to improve, soon enough you\u2019ll prove them all wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eisenberg hopes to see hockey become more accessible to girls worldwide, saying, \u201cI think it\u2019s such a fun sport with so much to offer and learn that many women and girls could benefit from the opportunity to play.\u201d While she acknowledges that men\u2019s hockey will always be faster and more physical, and therefore \u201cmore enjoyable to watch because of the overall speed and ability of the players,\u201d she believes that increasing recognition and opportunities will help the sport for women grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for next year\u2019s game? There is no doubt that the rivalry between Riverdale and Fieldston will be just as intense. And there is no doubt that Eisenberg will be on the ice, hopefully assisting the Eagles to finally bring home the win in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u201cBirds of Prey\u201d showdown is a cherished annual tradition. Year after year, avid crowds of students pack the stands to watch the heated on-ice face-off between Riverdale and Fieldston. But this year, something untraditional occurred. Ella Eisenberg (Form V) \u2013 perhaps an apt nickname is\u00a0 \u201cIce\u201d-enberg \u2013 stepped on the ice as the first girl on the Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team in three years.\u00a0 But being the only girl on an all\u2013boys team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":11449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[347,644,318,317],"tags":[],"coauthors":[630],"class_list":["post-11448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-features","category-news","category-sports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-01-at-12.19.06-PM-e1740849599110.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11450,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11448\/revisions\/11450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11448"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstonnews.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}