Skate for Her is the most anticipated game of the season for the Berkshire Girls’ Varsity Hockey team. This year, the team hosted Lawrenceville School, on December 14th, 2024, in a game dedicated to raising funds for an organization supporting girls and women in sports. Head Coach Lisa Marshall founded the Skate For Her game five years ago, inspired by a quote from former American professional soccer player Mia Hamm:
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her” (Hamm).
Every year, Head Coach Lisa Marshall and the team’s seniors select an organization to represent in the game. This year, the organization represented was Movemeant. Movemeant’s mission is as follows: “to enable girls aged 8-18 to cultivate a positive and supportive relationship with themselves through accessible and personalized health and wellness programs.”Movemeant works to promote fitness, mindfulness, and community through workshops they offer all across the United States. Its impact is worldwide, reaching over 400,000 young girls and women throughout the world.
Once the team selects an organization, the seniors design special jerseys to be worn during the game, selecting colors based on the logo of the organization they support. This year, the seniors designed jerseys with black and pink features and white accents. All colors were taken directly from the Movemeant’s website. The jerseys had the signature Berkshire “B” on the front, with white mountains lining the bottom. On the back of the jersey, the nameplate read “SKATE FOR HER”. The absence of the last name on the back of the jersey was to remind the team that they were skating for something bigger than themselves; they were skating for “her”. Choosing the organization and designing the jerseys is a secret known only to Coach Marshall and the seniors, making it even more exciting to the team’s underclassmen as they wait for the reveal.
On the day of the game, the team wore special warm-ups to honor their foundation. The warmups were a black shirt with the neon pink lettering “MVMT” stretching across the back. Following warmups, the team geared up and welcomed young female skaters from the Berkshire Rattlers Youth Hockey program to the ice. The young skaters received cheers and high-fives from all members of BGVH in the locker room, making it an unforgettable experience for not just the Rattlers but the members of Girls’ Varsity Hockey. Following their walkthrough, the girls lined the sides of the tunnel, ready for on-ice warm-ups. As GVH warmed up, the girls watched from the bench. Following warmups, as the starting lineup was announced, each senior skated with a girl to the blue line, getting in position for the national anthem.
After the Rattlers Youth Hockey players were escorted off the ice following the national anthem, it was game time. With close to seven minutes passed in the first period, Sophia Esposito ’25 scored the game-winning goal from between the dots. The score remained 1-0 for the remainder of the game until Cora Davidson ’28 potted an empty-net goal with 51.5 seconds left in the third period. The final score of the game was 2-0 Berkshire. Katie Hurley ’27 tallied a huge shutout with an amazing performance throughout the night.
The entire night was a success for the Girls’ Varsity Hockey team. The game was high energy with good competition, and it was all for a good cause. This year’s Skate For Her game was one to remember, and the seniors expressed their gratitude for everyone who helped make that night happen. Overall, this Berkshire tradition is one of the most memorable for members of the Girls’ Varsity Hockey program, and the team looks forward to putting together many more Skate For Her games in the future. Berkshire Girls’ Varsity Hockey skated for something bigger than themselves that night.
For more information, follow @berkshireschoolathletics and @berkshiregvhockey on Instagram.
