Coryn Tormala has never been afraid to step foot in an ice rink. Growing up, the UConn grad student was surrounded by hockey players and even cites them as the reason she became interested in playing the sport herself.
“My brothers both played growing up and my dad too and even my grandpa, so just growing up, I got into it through them and that’s just kind of how it took off,” said Tormala.
Outside of just family, the Huskies forward attributes her upbringing in Wisconsin as another factor that pushed her towards playing the sport she would grow to love. Reflecting on memories from childhood, Tormala fondly recalls picking up the game at a young age after moving from Arizona to Wisconsin.
“I was born in Arizona so there wasn’t a whole lot of hockey there. In Wisconsin, we had a rink in my backyard growing up, so that was for sure fun and the cold weather helped that,” said Tormala.
When asked about female athletes who inspired her growing up, Tormala spoke highly of her mother who didn’t play hockey but instead was a tennis player in college.
“My mom was a college athlete too so she knew what it was like – she played tennis, very dissociated from what I play, but she encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to reach my goals,” remarked the UConn forward.
As a female hockey player, Tormala faced adversity and fought stereotypes in a male-driven industry. She remembers fondly just how few girls participated in hockey growing up and how that made her feel.
“I think growing up was the biggest part. I played boys hockey growing up and unfortunately, I was probably one of the only girls on the team – We still face a little adversity here today,” she said.
Tormala would go on to state that she feels it is important for female athletes to be vocal about these issues. “We have pretty busy lives but if someone asks I’m for sure gonna give my opinion and just try to go from there,” she stated.
Many things can be done to push the game forward, but none are as big as getting people to come and watch the women play on gameday.
“That’s like growing the game,” said Tormala. “I mean, the first game we ever had here, we had probably the most fans I’ve ever played in front of and so that was definitely inspiring. And just even since the five years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen so much growth from when we were in the other rink.”
Tormala’s words shed light on her upbringing and some of the challenges of gender inequality within women’s hockey. Her insights as a UConn women’s hockey player underscore the resilience and determination required to navigate a landscape where inequities persist. Tormala’s perspectives reveal the struggles and the passion behind her commitment to the sport. It is clear that the journey towards equality in hockey has a long way to go, but with voices like hers, the future of women’s hockey looks poised for positive transformation.