First round draft pick for local athlete

INNISFAIL - For Innisfail native Taryn Baumgardt, there is no better feeling than lacing up your skates to take that first push off a fresh sheet of ice.

Now at 22, she has the chance to do that as a professional women's hockey player – a feat she said she never could have imagined – after being drafted fifth overall in the 2017 CWHL hockey draft.

From falling in love with the sport at five years old to sitting in a room with her peers, anxiously waiting to hear her name, her love for the sport has never waned. That doesn't mean she wasn't surprised to hear her name so close to the top, though.

“I was very humbled to hear my name in the first round,” said Baumgardt, who plays defence. “I was not expecting it.”

That's not to take away from nearly 20 years of dedication and love of the game; as an athlete, Baumgardt is quick to highlight all the hard work and commitment that one needs to be successful.

“The season never really stops; you are always training for the next thing, but you do what you love,” she said.

While the Calgary Inferno drafted Baumgardt in the first round, she isn't automatically guaranteed a spot on the team. There will be a training camp at the end of September, which will function as a tryout. As a young player, she'll have to be at her best to impress the coaches and current roster.

But Baumgardt is up to the task; her four years as a college athlete and academic – she graduated with a degree in finance while playing for the Quinnipiac Bobcats – have prepared her for challenges she'll face down the road.

While Baumgardt is excited for her future in the sport, she's just glad there's a chance to play women's hockey professionally – something that wouldn't have been as readily available even a decade ago.

“The game has grown so much, has gotten so much more competitive, it's awesome that we have opportunities like this now,” she said.

As an athlete, she thrives on competition – the feeling of blocking the slapshot or chasing down a breakaway – but also loves playing for her team.

“To have a group of girls who are all striving for the same goal, I think that is something that is really special,” said Baumgardt.

Now, like many young graduates, Baumgardt's future is up in the air, but there is one thing she knows for sure: as she steps on the ice, stick in hand and puck by her side, and breathes in the cold, crisp arena air, she can't help but feel like she's home.