Diane Peters – “Never Let Anyone Define Who You Are”
The Chatham-Kent Crush celebrate a goal – Photo by CKSN.ca
Diane Peters knows what challenges young female hockey players face. She coaches them every day, and was one herself.
The head coach of the Chatham-Kent Crush Midget ‘AA’ team, Chatham-Kent’s top women’s team, believes having women’s coaches to serve as role models for their athletes, is a vital aspect when it comes to guiding female athletes.
“I believe it’s very important to have female coaches, coaching this younger generation to help with confidence and help overcome obstacles without judgement,” said Peters.
“I believe that women’s coaches have a different emotional character to them. Emotion is very high in female athletes and when you have a female coach they are able to understand and be on the same page with the athlete. As a female coach, you hope one day the female athletes you coach become the future coach for the game.”
Peters herself played for the Chatham Outlaws, and went on to play NCAA hockey for Neumann University.
For Peters, she believes instilling confidence, making a connection with youth, and providing feedback while showing athletes that a coach cares are crucial to developing young hockey players. She tries to build this culture with her team, and help each player reach their full potential.
“One thing I try to instil in our players is always believe in yourself,” says Peters. “Find your strength and continue to be the the best version of yourself. Always be true to yourself and everything else will fall into place. Every female on the Midget ‘AA’ family has their own unique reason why they are on this team. Believe in yourself as much as I believe in them. Hockey is a place where they also learn values on and off the ice, which helps make them better people when they get into the real world.”
The opportunity to grow, and carve out a sense of self are what make sports and the game of hockey a wonderful experience for many young athletes, and Peters hopes other young girls will get to have that positive experience, and learn about the power of sport first hand.
“Never let anyone define who you are,” says Peters. “Overcome the hurdles that come your way and always be humble where ever you go. Always push yourself to the next level and always Believe in yourself! Playing hockey is where you build friendships that will change your life.”