Girls Hockey: Love of game leads LFA’s Bernstein to Williams College
By MATT HARNESS mharness@pioneerlocal.com January 31, 2012 10:52PM
Lake Forest Academy's Natalie Bernstein races to the puck during earlier action this winter. She will play at Williams College next year. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
Updated: March 3, 2012 8:38AM
Natalie Bernstein always was jealous of the boys who got to play hockey.
After she finished figure skating practice at the Winnetka Ice Arena, Bernstein would stay to watch whatever hockey game followed.
“I liked it a lot better,” said the Kenilworth native, the first in her immediate family to play the sport. “It took a few years of convincing, but I finally persuaded my mom to let me play.”
Good choice.
Now a senior at Lake Forest Academy, Bernstein will attend prestigious Williams College (Mass.) to continue playing hockey next season.
“I think it’s been worth it,” said the 18-year-old Bernstein, who attended New Trier as a freshman before transferring to Lake Forest Academy.
Still, it hasn’t been an easy road to Williamstown, Mass. According to Suzette, Natalie’s mother, Natalie often leaves early in the morning and doesn’t get home until nearly midnight. Between school, practice and studies, Suzette said Natalie rarely stops her motor. What’s more, Suzette said Natalie’s bedroom light never goes off.
“I have to find a balance between everything,” said Natalie, who takes five advanced placement courses and maintains a 4.2 grade-point average. “I usually do homework in the car and take naps after school.”
On Saturday, the 5-foot-5, 115-pound center/winger practiced with her club team in the morning, in Skokie, before playing a game with Lake Forest Academy later in the day. The Caxys lost to Fenwick.
“I am enjoying it a lot,” said Bernstein, who’s played with the high school team as a sophomore and as a senior, skipping her junior season to concentrate on school work. “We aren’t the best team in high school, but I still am enjoying it.”
By most standards, Bernstein was late to hockey. She didn’t join a club team until she was 14 years old. But she hasn’t stopped playing since she enrolled with the Chicago Young Americans, based in Glen Ellyn.
“It was tough getting into it at the time,” Bernstein remembered. “A lot of the girls had played since they were 4 years old. I came in not knowing how to handle the stick. It was difficult. The other girls knew what they were doing.”
With the blessing of her family, Bernstein dedicated herself to the sport. She’s attended numerous camps around the country and has played almost every day as a teenager.
“I kept working at it,” she said. “It helped playing year-round.”
As much as Bernstein plays hockey, she found the time to join the varsity tennis team for three years at Lake Forest Academy.
“I’ve played tennis since I was really little, maybe since I was 5,” said Bernstein, whose younger brother, Blake, also plays hockey. “The tennis season is short, and it wasn’t that bad with club hockey. I liked playing it.”
Bernstein was named to the Amateur High School Association White All-State Team, which will play the Red All-Star Team in Bensenville at 6:40 p.m. Feb. 6. She’s also leading the Caxys into the playoffs. Lake Forest Academy was scheduled to open up against Warren on Wednesday. The Caxys then play Latin, Barrington and Andrew as the playoffs continue.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment