U of A Express spotlights Twenty Miles

From the University of Alberta Express News<!--newline-->"http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=8985<!--newline--><!--newline-->She shoots – she scores!<!--newline-->by Michael Brown<!--newline--><!--newline--><!--newline-->January 9, 2008 - Edmonton - For lack of a better measuring stick, the final period of a hockey game is officially counted down over minutes and seconds, but the fact of the matter is that final frame is simply an uphill battle viewed as a distance that needs to be covered; whoever covers it best wins.<!--newline--><!--newline-->Hockey lore and dressing room rallying cries metaphorically peg the distance at 20 miles.<!--newline--><!--newline-->Appropriately enough, Twenty Miles is the title of University of Alberta PhD English student Cara Hedley's first novel, aptly named to depict both the struggles found within the pages of the book and the larger ongoing struggle for the recognition of women's hockey across all contexts.<!--newline--><!--newline-->Published by Coach House Books, Twenty Miles is a coming-of-age story set in the world of women's hockey. Isabel Norris, the daughter of a hockey legend who died before she was born, leaves the friendly confines of her grandmother's house in Kenora, Ont. for the fictitious Winnipeg University Scarlets.<!--newline--><!--newline-->The story examines the struggles 'Iz' encounters while trying to fit in, not only on this team of hard-hitting, tough-talking women with a penchant for buffets, beer bongs and raunchy humour, but also in the game.<!--newline--><!--newline-->"The book is fiction, but I certainly drew from my experiences," said Hedley, 28, who would know a thing or two about life as a high-level hockey player, having played three seasons on the University of Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team.<!--newline--><!--newline-->"On the ice, in the gym, on the bus, on the road, when you play university hockey you are interacting with these people every day. I find when a group of women get together the team they create almost becomes a character in itself, so I just drew upon this energy."<!--newline--><!--newline-->And those experiences play out in Twenty Miles with extreme honesty, giving the reader some uncensored insight into typical hockey locker room culture.<!--newline--><!--newline-->"I didn't shy away from anything," Hedley said of the often-racy language and topics tossed up for discussion. "I think some people were surprised."<!--newline--><!--newline-->"I think women aren't completely different when it comes to that sort of dynamic, particularly female hockey players, so I tried to be realistic. I didn't sugar coat it too much."<!--newline--><!--newline-->Hedley began her life on skates playing ringette before switching over to Manitoba's newly initiated girls hockey program when she was 12. Having never played hockey with boys, the idea of featuring a character that had only ever known the loneliness of a separate change room posed an interesting challenge for Hedley. Drawing on stories and experiences from her teammates who learned the game playing with and against boys, Hedley was able to examine a social scenario that on the surface would not seem so inherently awkward.<!--newline--><!--newline-->"Having always played with boys, when Iz walks into this women's hockey dressing room for the first time, it's a different bonding experience and a completely different world," said Hedley. "I just wanted to show that jarring."<!--newline--><!--newline-->Hedley's thoughts on Canada's national passion both on and off the ice are rooted in a family history that is as Canadian as hockey pucks in December. Her grandfather, Konrad (Konnie) Johannesson, was part of the 1920 Winnipeg Falcons, who captured the first ever gold medal awarded in hockey during the 1920 Winter Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium.<!--newline--><!--newline-->Hedley made a little hockey history herself as a stay-at-home defenceman for the U of M Bisons during the inaugural Canada West women's 1997-98 hockey season. Incidentally, Hedley's Bisons lost to the U of A Pandas 4-3 in overtime of the 1998 Canada West final.<!--newline--><!--newline-->From Winnipeg, Hedley moved on to the University of Calgary where she completed her master's in English literature specializing in creative writing. Her thesis had both critical and creative components that blossomed into the writing of Twenty Miles.<!--newline--><!--newline-->"Having researched Canadian hockey literature, I haven't come across any books or stories about women playing hockey," said Hedley. "There may be a female hockey player playing on a men's shinny team or something like that once in a while, usually on some misfit hockey team."<!--newline--><!--newline-->"It's a relatively new phenomenon, and the literature hasn't caught up. I wanted to write about women's hockey, but I also wanted to talk about those relationships that are very different from playing on a boys' hockey team."<!--newline--><!--newline-->Twenty Miles is available in most bookstores, including Audreys, Chapters and Laurie Greenwoods Volume II.