Ice hockey isn’t very popular in Turkey, women’s hockey sophomore Cagla Celik’s home country. She did many different sports during her youth including swimming, basketball, table tennis, and ballet. While attending a friend’s birthday party at a local mall, she skated at an indoor ice rink and fell in love with it. She was encouraged by an instructor to try ice hockey. “It’s been [about] 10 years since that day, and I love [skating] like I did the first time I was on the ice,” she said.
Recently, Celik was featured on one of the popular sports channels in Turkey. “[They] contacted me because I am the first Turkish person to be in the NCAA ice hockey. They invited me in for an interview to talk about my experiences as a national team player and the first Turkish player to compete in the NCAA,” Celik said.
Celik was selected for the Turkish national team in 2015 when she was just 16 years old. “I had to go through 3 tryouts in total for that year. I was the second youngest on the team so I did not think I would be able to make the team because I was not experienced and was barely old enough to make the team,” said Celik. Over 50 people were invited to the camp where tryouts were held; only 16 players and two goalies would ultimately be selected to represent Turkey in the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
“It has been an amazing experience not just because it was my first time making the national team but because it was also the first time Team Turkey [won] a gold medal in the Women’s World Championship. Overall, it was and is a thrilling, and rewarding experience.”
According to Celik, different countries play in different divisions, and there many different divisions in the IIHF World Championships. She said, “Turkey plays in DII, and our championships are usually around February or March. Turkish women’s national team attends the World championships every year and the Winter Olympics every four years. We usually play four to five games during both the Olympics and the Worlds. To prepare for those for those games, we practice three to five times a day during selection camps.”
“Lake Forest College was one of my top choices in colleges,” she continued. “When I visited the campus, Coach Wilson was very kind and the team incredibly welcoming. I have skated in so many rinks and in so many different countries, but without a doubt the Lake Forest rink is so far my favorite. It just makes me feel like home.”
Celik plans to continue to play for the Turkish national team as long as she can as well as continue to play for the Foresters. “I love being a Lake Forest athlete and being the only Turkish representing my home country at the same time,” she said. In the future, she would also love to serve her national team as a coach and help continue developing the sport in Turkey.