A wonderful accomplishment that a student has done is senior Austin Gaskin who was nominated to be a member of the High School All-Stars Hockey Team for Campo Verde High School this weekend. The All-Star team is made up of the top hockey players in all of Arizona. In addition, Austin was nominated by his team to be in the running for the Shane Doan Scholarship. Everyone at ACP is most definitely rooting for him to get this scholarship! I interviewed Austin about this experience and his passion for hockey. 

Q: How does it feel to be nominated to be a member of the All-Stars Hockey Team?

A: Well, it’s nice to get recognized in my senior year since it’s my last, and I have worked very hard to get this far in hockey.

Q: When did you start playing hockey, and what made you want to pursue the sport?

A: I started playing hockey when I was around five years old, and why I wanted to play it was because I saw some older guys playing it at the rink when I was there for my sister’s figure skating, and I thought it looked interesting.

Q: What are some of your other hobbies and talents that you do in your free time?

A: I really like to read, watch Seinfeld, and sleep a lot.

Q: Did you ever think that you would get this far in hockey?

A: Honestly, no. There have been many ups and downs, but I’m glad I made it to where I am now.

Q: What makes you keep pursuing what you love even when things get tough? What’s your motivation to keep trying?

A: Whenever I get the yips, I try and take things back to the basics and remember why I started playing hockey in the first place, to have fun.

Q: What are some of the things you enjoy/ love about playing hockey?

A: I love playing in close games when everything is on the line because you can feel the tension, and it gives you such an adrenaline rush.

It was great learning about Austin’s experience and love for hockey while writing this article. This is such an amazing achievement and everyone at ACP salutes you for your hard work and persistence. Keeping up with a sport is hard enough but being so good at it that a team wants to recruit you an amazing accomplishment. Way to go, Austin. Knights, be sure to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary!