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12 // OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM O F F T HE D R AW PHOTOS COURTESY OF the Gurlea Family Older brother Sean was the first to take to hockey. Then 12-year old Sydney wasn't far behind. After a brief stint with figure skating, she decided she wanted to challenge herself and give hockey a try. "I liked figure skating at first, but then it was, truthfully, just too boring for me," Sydney chuckles. "So, watching my older brother play at the time, I thought hockey looked so much more fun." Sydney quickly learned figure skating and skating in hock- ey were vastly different. But just like adjusting her life from island to mainland, she learned quickly. Her passion and desire to hone her hockey skills took her to various parts of the country, ultimately settling into hockey hotbed Minnesota with the Shattuck St. Mary's 16U squad. " It 's ha rd on mom a nd dad, a nd we m iss her of cou rse when she's gone, but we're so proud to see her chasing her dreams and goals and we support her as much as we can," says Twyla, who was a collegiate volleyball player at St. Cloud State University. Sydney aspires to take her dream to the Olympic stage, choosing cold and ice over sun and sand any day. "It's been a fun adventure, and I'm only 16," she says. "So I'm just excited to see where this all can go." P Jessi Pierce is a freelance writer based out of St. Paul, Minn. T'S NO LONGER A SURPRISE to hear that successful hock- e y p l a y e r s a r e p o p p i n g o u t from typically non-tradition- a l h o c k e y m a r k e t s . A u s t o n M a t t h e w s ( A r i z o n a ) , C a y l a Barnes (California), Jason Zucker (Las Vegas), Shayne Gostisbehere (Florida), Hilary Knight (Idaho)— the list goes on. But 16-year-old Sydney Gurlea is not only working to put a new pin on the map with the U.S. Virgin Islands, she's proving you don't have to grow up playing the game of hockey to chase after a newfound dream of it. G u r l e a a n d h e r f a m i l y, w h i c h includes mom Twyla and dad Doug, along with older brother Sean (20), younger brother Sam (14) and sis- ter Sierra (10) were raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands where Twyla and D o u g ow n e d b u s i n e s s e s. S y d n e y grew up as most in a vacation dream- land would: skim boarding, sailing, building sandcastles—you name it. "I loved being on or by the water. The usual beach life," Sydney says with a laugh. "And I loved being com- petitive, so in sailing and doing tri- athlons, whatever I could do I would." The Gurleas often returned state- side to the mountains of Colorado, eventually building a second home in 2008 before settling full time in the ski town of Breckenridge in 2012. U.S. Virgin Island Native Swaps Sandals For Skates As She Chases Her Hockey Dream FLIP FLOP I GIRLS By Jessi Pierce k Whether it's in the mountains or at the beach, Sydney Gurlea has always felt at home in the great outdoors. "I loved being on or by the water. The usual beach life."