(Kanata’s Ila Hobbins’ dream will come true when she competes in South Korea at the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championships from April 17- 23, 2023. Above she is seen in action at the Women’s Four Nations Tournament in Poland earlier this year. Photos: submitted)
After making Team Great Britain (GB) and travelling to Poland this past February, where she competed in the Women’s Four Nations hockey tournament, Kanata’s Ila Hobbins will now be heading to South Korea to compete in the Women’s World Championship between April 17th and April 23rd.
Making Team Great Britain initially and travelling to Poland for the Women’s Four Nations Tournament was such a huge achievement for Ila, and she recalls it being both a shock and an honour for her.
“Competing in Poland was such an unbelievable experience,” Ila gushed. “Knowing I was representing a country was the most exciting, wearing a jersey with ‘GB’ on the front was such an honour, and competing against the best of the best from different countries made it so incredible to be a part of.”
“Skating out to the official IIHF sound for warmup, knowing that it’s the same sound I grew up watching Crosby and McDavid skate out to when representing Canada was just hard to believe,” Ila confessed.
After playing incredibly well in Poland, Ila was asked to represent Team Great Britain in South Korea, where Ila will be able to live out one of her biggest dreams, and hopefully lead her team to gold.
“I was so unbelievably happy to hear I had been selected to represent team GB. I called my family right away and my mom was in tears knowing I’d be representing a country she grew up in. She was so happy for me. And My dad was so proud, and he choked up big time. He’s extremely proud knowing how hard I’ve worked to get to this level,” Ila admitted. “This is just such an incredible thing to be a part of and I’m so happy to have been selected to compete with the rest of the amazing girls on the team.”
But competing alongside the rest of Team Great Britain in the Women’s World Championship will bring on its very own challenges and will require plenty of hard work, practice, and team building.
“As a team we have been preparing as much as we can to make sure we are ready to compete. We have a gym trainer who has been taking us through workout routines for the past 6 months to make sure we are all at the top of our game. As well as a nutritionist helping us eat the best, so our body is fueled and make sure we are eating right to maximize our energy,” Ila stated. “Of course, we also have had GB camps almost every month to train together and be prepared as a team.“
“I’ve had lots of support from people back home who have helped me out with personalized gym workouts and help me with on ice coaching. We have a huge team to help us to make sure we are all doing the most we can to be at the top of our game when heading to South Korea.”
It’s no doubt that Ila has made her city proud, but hopefully all of her hard work, preparation, and immense dedication to the game will pay off, and she and her team can bring home the gold.
To follow the tournament and the Great Britain team visit https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2023/wwib.
