Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Dr. Sarah: Hello and welcome to the Dr. Adam podcast. I'm Dr. Sarah, and of course, today I'm thrilled because I have Emma Grinnell, and she's a sports enthusiast female hockey player. I love hockey live. It's one of my favorite sports to go and watch live. So I'm just so excited to. To have her Today on the Dr. Ritten podcast. And we actually met in the sauna Ethos Athletic Club here in Charleston, which is kind of fun. It's like a talking room for ladies. Whenever you're in the steamer sauna, you just start chatting up with other ladies. And we met that way.
And, yeah, I'm super stoked to have her today.
So, Emma, do you kind of go in and tell us about, you know, your history, where you grew up, where you were born? Tell us about and what made you end up here in Charleston? If you want to kind of answer those questions first.
[00:01:04] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, totally. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
Sauna. The sauna is, like, my favorite place ever. Like, that's my place to, like, decompress. So I love, like, meeting new faces in there all the time. And it's funny. Like, I have, like, an ongoing joke, like, with my friends, because I'm always telling them about different people that I meet in the sauna, and they're like, I feel like all your friends that you meet are from the sauna.
So. Yeah, but my name's Emma. I'm from Old Sabre, Connecticut. A little shoreline, coastal New England town.
Not really a hockey town, actually more of like a baseball, soccer. The closest rank was 40 minutes away. Growing up, I have two older brothers, and we were all kind of born actually with our feet, like, super pigeon toed, like, turned in so like, would be eating on our little high chair. And our feet were just completely didn't look right. So my mom knew it happened with my brothers and me, and we finally, you know, went to Boston Children's Hospital, and they told us, you know, like, you should get involved with dance and soccer because you'll open up your feet.
And then skating was also one of them.
So, honestly, growing up, I was never really on a hockey team until I was, like, here and there, but not really until I was probably 11 or 12.
And I don't know, I just really looked up to my brothers and was kind of a rink rat is what we call it. So I was just always kind of running around the ranks while my brothers were on the ice looking for little pucks and quarters for the, for the little snack machines. And I always would beg my mom to like put me on skates.
And so I started skating at 2 actually to help with my, with my feet, to help me. And it wasn't until maybe around 10 years old that I finally was able to stop on my left foot. I could only stop on my right, so I was like super dominant on my right. Because of my.
Just the way that my feet were being so turned in, I couldn't like actually make a hockey stop on my left.
But yeah, just kind of got involved into sports that way, which for my parents wasn't always the easiest because it. Instead of, you know, the field right down the street, you know, we were always the crazy ones. Driving hours all around New England to all the different ice rinks.
[00:03:58] Dr. Sarah: Uh huh.
And yeah. And getting started. It sounds like what first inspired you to play hockey was. What was it about watching your brothers that made you want to get on the ice?
[00:04:12] Emma Gurnell: Well, I feel like they just always were having so much fun.
And you know, that's the great thing about sports, I feel like, is like the relationships that you make.
And it just seems like there was always, you know, like, good team camaraderie and.
[00:04:33] Dr. Sarah: Yeah, that's awesome. And at what point would you say that kind of the hockey went from something that you played to kind of becoming a huge part of your identity?
And you know what impressed me so much talking with you too, is just your dedication to the spirit sport. And you know, I just haven't ran into a lot of female hockey players, honestly. So I was like, this is awesome. This is so cool.
[00:05:00] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
What was the first part of that question?
[00:05:05] Dr. Sarah: At what point did it kind of go from something you played for fun to becoming part of your, you know, full identity?
[00:05:12] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, In a way, I feel like it's always been part of my identity. Like, honestly don't know myself without hockey, which is either good or bad.
Just kind of feel like it's racing through my blood at this point.
But I feel like a big identity shift kind of happened.
Like I grew up playing boys hockey because there's girls hockey really wasn't a thing, um, back when I was younger.
Now it's like fully taken off. It's wonderful to see like a bunch of girls teams when you go to the rink. But it wasn't always that way. Yeah, so I always was like the only girl on my team, like rolling in with like, you know, a pink dress on, like in the locker room with all the boys, like, I just was sticking out Like a sore thumb with my blonde ponytail, like outside of my helmet on the ice.
But it probably wasn't until more I was like 12 or 13 where I was like double rostered for a season with a girls team and a boys team.
And I just really like took off. Like, I think I scored like 60 goals that season, probably about like 30 assists as well. And it really was like a.
Opened my eyes a bit more to like, wow, this is like something I could really like pursue.
And my parents always kind of engraved in my brothers and I that, you know, our ticket to college would be our sports.
And so at this point I played kind of every sport imaginable across dabbled in field hockey, soccer, you know, track, swimming, dance, like all the above.
But yeah, hockey kind of just started taking off and seemed to be the main focus of my, my life.
And so I got more, you know, I was playing aaa, which is like tier one, so it's the highest level you can play for youth hockey. And so you go to all these tournaments and like scouts will be there for, from like just college coaches. And so from a very young age, back When I was 13, I was already getting pretty good looks from really great hockey schools like Providence College and Quinnipiac University.
And so it really like was eye opening and was like, wow, like I could actually like make this happen. And so I've really just.
I feel like I've always kind of put my mind to something and so I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to play college hockey. So that kind of was that whole couple years definitely is what was like the, the eye opening while I was shifting into like seventh, eighth grade.
But then again, my brothers always kind of come back into my picture and my story because they're older than me, so they, one of them had gone away to boarding school. So I kind of already seen how you can, you know, the different pathways to play at a college level because my town doesn't have a hockey team because there's no hockey around. So the only outlet for high school was to go to boarding school.
[00:09:10] Dr. Sarah: Okay, yeah. It sounds like you battled some injuries in high school, correct?
[00:09:18] Emma Gurnell: Yes.
[00:09:20] Dr. Sarah: You couldn't sounds like participate in some certain sports and then can you do you.
I'm sure that must have been tough dealing with that.
[00:09:31] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, I again, like at one point I wanted to be a dual athlete in college. So I kind of wanted to play field hockey and, and ice hockey or lacrosse and ice hockey at that Division 1 level, which is definitely. I've had friends that have done that and that looking back, I definitely had big hopes and dreams, but that kind of all came crashing down pretty quickly when I stepped foot on Westminster School's campus, which was the boarding school I spent four years at. But, okay, I was playing field hockey and ice hockey on the. Like, field hockey during the week, ice hockey during the weekend.
And I just had this, like, pain going on in my legs. And, like, my. I just couldn't. Like, we couldn't figure out what was going on for, like, months.
Ended up having two walking boots.
So, like, normally, like, you. You just put on one boot and, like, you're all centered, but I had, like, two. So I kind of, like, looked like this weird freshman, like, walking around campus, like, waddling like a penguin.
Yeah.
Kind of crazy to look back on, but they kind of.
They said I just had stress fractures in both shins, and I'm kind of very prevalent to them. So even right now, like, I. If I go for a run without doing the proper stretching or, like, taking care of myself, I can easily get those stress fractures. So I had, like, bone ultrasound machines on my shins morning and night for 40 minutes, all throughout my freshman sophomore and a little bit of my junior year of high school.
But, yeah, I.
It definitely, you know, injuries are one of those things that, you know, however sucky I guess they are in the moment, it isn't until, like, you're beyond it and you can look back and be like, that has made me so much stronger, and, like, it gave me a lot of the discipline and, like, passions that I still have even today.
People would always, like, come up to me in high school and be like, Emma, like, do, you know a good stretch for this? And I'm like, oh, I got you. Like, I know all about stretching every single limb because I was always injured or, like, the injured girl.
And so, I don't know. Like, I graduate in December with a major in psychology, but I have aspirations to go to a physical therapy program.
That's one of my options, at least.
So it's just. It all kind of, you know, like, even those injuries you can look at in a way that it's like, oh, that's inspired me to, you know, do things 15 years down the line, you know?
[00:12:44] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
You didn't give up.
[00:12:46] Emma Gurnell: Exactly.
[00:12:49] Dr. Sarah: That's good determination and good hope, you know, for other people listening to your story, because, like, you could have just.
I feel like going through that pain, you know, it sounds like.
I don't know, it was hard because
[00:13:03] Emma Gurnell: it was one of Those things that it's not like, your wrist and, like, you can heal your wrists debatably easier because you're not like, constantly, you know, legs like, you're constantly walking on.
So there's no real.
You're never truly at rest.
[00:13:20] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
Yeah.
And so it sounds like you just.
Were there any fears ever during that point where you were like.
Would you say maybe the fear of not being able to do hockey again is kind of what kept you going? Like, you were like, there's no way I can have life without hockey. Is that kind of how you think or your mindset or anything you want to share?
[00:13:45] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:13:45] Dr. Sarah: Pertain to that maybe?
[00:13:47] Emma Gurnell: Absolutely. Like, when you're sitting in your dorm room and, like, not playing your sport from September to February, like, that definitely, like, lights a fire underneath you to be like, I gotta get out there. I want to do this, this and this to, like, get myself here and improve this. And I think a lot of it also was just, like, watching the game. You know, being on the outside, like, you know, expanded, like, my hockey IQ even of, like, just seeing the game from a different perspective that you don't always see when you're inside of it.
So I don't know. I think it definitely lit a fire underneath me. But I will say that it's also hard because we live in a world of technology and comparison is really hard. And I still sometimes struggle with that because it's so easy to post, like, your highlights of your life on social media.
And a lot of my friends, you know, are committing to at this time were committing to Yale and to Harvard and Princeton and Dartmouth. And then, you know, so it just was in other top schools. Right. So it just was like, why is this the path that, like, God wanted for me? And it was. When you're in the moment, it's really hard to see that and just try. And, I don't know, we all kind of fall into the comparison trap, but it's. It's definitely something I'm always. Always working on.
[00:15:23] Dr. Sarah: Mm. Mm.
And what I think is so amazing, too, you know, that resilience is. Is great. And it's. I'm sure it's an inspiration to many, you know, that you kept going despite. And another thing is that I want to kind of talk about is the recruiting, just so everybody knows, you know, she's a really good female hockey player, and she had recruiters at only age 13, which we kind of mentioned already a little bit before, but that we're talking, you know, about your future and being 13.
I mean, that just had to be like, whoa. Do you kind of want to share with the audience what that was like?
[00:16:08] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, it's crazy, honestly. Like, it's kind of a whirlwind. You. You just kind of think it just falls in your lap, honestly, and you're like, oh, this. This is cool.
But kind of what happened for my own individual recruiting process was I then was injured after I had all this kind of attention from coaches, and then they switched the recruiting role so that you couldn't be recruited because. Because people were getting recruited at, like, age 11. It was like, how can you.
How can you choose your whole future at 11 years old? So they. They did delay it.
[00:16:50] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:16:51] Emma Gurnell: So I was kind of in that weird phase where I was kind of not best of both worlds, but I experienced both of the different recruiting timelines, so they changed it until after your sophomore year of high school.
But, yeah, it's.
I definitely had friends that were committed at 13, which is. Which is crazy. Looking back now that that recruiting rule has been in place for quite a few years now.
[00:17:23] Dr. Sarah: Is that like hockey?
[00:17:25] Emma Gurnell: I'm not too sure, because I just kind of. I think. I think it would be like.
[00:17:31] Dr. Sarah: I think that young for football. Is it. It's just. Is it just hockey and baseball? I feel like.
[00:17:37] Emma Gurnell: I think.
I'm not sure. I can't speak on behalf of other sports.
[00:17:42] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:17:42] Emma Gurnell: But I feel like it might have. And it might have been, like, a whole NCAA thing that they switched.
And it's crazy because I'm 23 now, and I still, like, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, let alone, like, when you're 13, like, how are you supposed to. You know?
But kind of crazy to.
To look back at.
[00:18:06] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
And when you were being recruited by such a wide range of schools, if you want to share with the audience, I think you touched on a little bit which schools those were from highly academic programs to different Division 1, Division 3 schools.
What was it like not knowing where you would ultimately end up?
[00:18:28] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, this. This definitely ties back into the comparison thing, because it was just so, you know, especially. I mean, I got my family. My family was very helpful in my recruiting process of kind of like, letting me do what I wanted to do. Like, and I was like, tunnel vision. I'm playing Division 1. I'm playing Division 1.
And not that there's. There's great Division 3 schools out there, some that can beat Division 1 programs, but I just was like, this has been my dream since I was a Little girl, like, let me, like, I'm just gonna go after it.
But it was hard because I would have my parents being like, what are we thinking? What. What's going on?
Then I'd have friends. You've got coaches, you've got teammates. So it's just like. And I obviously was, like, a good hockey player, so people are like. It was more of like, why aren't you committed yet?
You know, I remember I, like, went to USA Hockey Nationals. That was in Pittsburgh.
And I had a coach actually come up to my mom and was like, oh, isn't Emma.
Like, was. Was she ever gonna tell me that, like, she wasn't coming to my school? My mom was like, she hasn't chosen a school yet. So there was even, you know, coaches all know coaches, and even coaches were trying to figure out, like, what I was doing.
It was definitely really hard at times because it.
Not the point of giving up, but it definitely was like, there's a lot of options in front of me, and how are you supposed to know which one is the best, you know?
Yeah.
But it all works out how it's supposed to at the end of the day.
[00:20:29] Dr. Sarah: And so kind of understanding the timeline.
So you. With college, you have basically shared with me that you've kind of had an interesting college experience because you're now on your third university, correct?
[00:20:47] Emma Gurnell: Yes.
[00:20:47] Dr. Sarah: So was the first one University of Maine for Division 1 hockey, correct. Is that the first? Okay. Yeah.
And I don't know, do you kind of want to talk about the three?
[00:20:59] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, totally.
[00:21:00] Dr. Sarah: I think it'd be interesting to other
[00:21:02] Emma Gurnell: hockey players out there. Yeah.
So my recruiting in general was.
I guess this is kind of tying back to the previous question you just asked, but my recruiting, you know, no one really tells you, you know, there's no rule book, really, of how recruiting works.
[00:21:19] Dr. Sarah: Um, yeah.
[00:21:21] Emma Gurnell: So, you know, I just kind of was picking up the phone and calling coaches, which, honestly, in today's world, I don't think is pretty common. Like, everyone wants to hide behind an email or a text.
[00:21:32] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:21:33] Emma Gurnell: I remember picking up the phone and. And calling the University of Maine coach and being like, hey, like, I really want to come to your school, and I'm coming up there on yada yada day for this camp. I'd love to set up a meeting and meet you and, like, have a conversation.
So I got a response, and I met with him before the camp, and, you know, that was like, the beginning of my recruiting there, because they, honestly, if I'm being honest, they weren't interested in me. Like I hadn't received emails from them. It was me reaching out to them saying, hey, I want to come to your school.
[00:22:13] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:22:16] Emma Gurnell: So I'm. It's a lot to, you know, credit to how I've been raised as well.
My parents are big believers of like, if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
[00:22:26] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:22:28] Emma Gurnell: So that's kind of how that happened.
And then after Westminster, I did a postgraduate year, which is kind of popular in the sports world in New England. Um, so I just did basically another year of academics and sports because I did only have two seasons in those four years because Covid hit.
So it would give me more exposure to coaches that I kind of lacked.
And so Deerfield was like a great experience. Like, I have nothing negative to say some of like the best happy, I don't know, moments in my life, like met some of the best relationships there.
But I.
That whole year I was still talking to the University of Maine and it kind of just fell like where the cars were supposed to fall.
And, you know, it's crazy. I won't lie. You know, things at times I was like, it's not gonna work out.
Not going to work out.
But it always does.
But then from Maine, I had to go up and start training July 31st and two days before our whole coaching staff was wiped.
So our coach was a husband and wife coach and then an assistant coach.
And so basically school didn't start till September, but I had to be up there July 31st to start training. But we were walking to a situation of like, are we still, are we still going? Like, there's no coaches, like, what are we doing? So we still went. We didn't end up having a coach until like a week and a half before games started, you know, so that created a lot of adversity, I think, for like the whole entire team because you've got a whole new coaching staff and they don't know who you are as a player.
So Maine was honestly great. It was very different that I was used to because boarding school is very tight knit community.
My high school was only 400 students and then, I don't know, Deerfield's like 700 maybe.
[00:24:58] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:24:59] Emma Gurnell: So pretty, pretty small compared to humane. I think it's probably.
I don't even remember if I'm being honest from the top of my head, but I think it's like 16,000 undergrad.
[00:25:10] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:25:10] Emma Gurnell: So it just felt very big compared to what I was used to in the hockey season. Kind of with playing time and again battling some More health issues didn't really go my way. I was out for like the first four weeks of the season and then was never really given an opportunity to, you know, show the kind of hockey player that I am.
And so when the season ended, there were 15 people who entered the transfer portal, which is pretty common when new coaches come in because they're kind of filtering like out who they want and their new vision for the program.
15 though, is like, kind of crazy. That only leaves about like eight returners on the team. So we had more people leave than people stayed.
[00:26:01] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:26:02] Emma Gurnell: But because of boarding school and I love to the tight knit community, I started looking at smaller schools. So that's kind of how I landed at Assumption.
And Assumption is a small school in Worcester, Mass.
And they were starting a brand new Division 1 program.
So coming from the University of Maine, I would be like a huge asset to them to just kind of get the program up and, you know, under its feet.
So we had 22 freshmen on the team that year, which
[00:26:41] Dr. Sarah: is all girls or guys and girls?
[00:26:44] Emma Gurnell: This is girls. Yeah.
So Assumption is the Division 2 school, but their woman's hockey program was going Division 1.
[00:26:53] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:26:54] Emma Gurnell: So we had 22 girls on our team and then it was four of us transfers.
So I was a sophomore and then we had three juniors and I was a captain for two years there.
You know, it's, it comes with being a first year program. There's a lot of leader.
Yeah, but like 22 girls though, I can imagine, like, I mean, I went through it, but I'm sure you can imagine is like there's a lot going on.
So definitely dealing with some immaturity and girls living away from home for the first time. When I was on my like seventh year, living away from home.
So at times it felt like we're just kind of on different wavelengths of, of life, I guess.
But I decided that I, you know, one thing that isn't really spoken a lot in sports in general is mental health.
And at this point, you know, I just thought that I was giving, giving, giving and people were taking, but I wasn't, you know, I wasn't. Nothing else was like really filling up my cup, I guess you could say.
So I really had to look inward
[00:28:20] Dr. Sarah: and
[00:28:23] Emma Gurnell: I came up with a difficult choice to step away from hockey.
And now I'm down in sunny Charleston.
[00:28:32] Dr. Sarah: So. All right, so right now, currently you have a break room.
[00:28:37] Emma Gurnell: Yes, right now I'm not playing. I do have my hockey bag and my hockey sticks are sitting across the room.
But yeah, hockey's not very big down here, so.
[00:28:49] Dr. Sarah: All right, what would you say?
Like, what would you say something that would surprise people about female hockey players? Like, I feel like maybe this is just an assumption or something, but, you guys, I'm assuming you kind of have to have, like, not be afraid to get hurt, I would think, but I don't know, like, what would you say is kind of a mindset with being a female hockey player that maybe the audience wouldn't think of or that you want to share? Maybe there's girls out there aspiring or interested in hockey. What would you say is something that they would need to carry with them?
[00:29:29] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, I. I don't know if it's all that surprising, but. Or maybe it's just biased of me to even say, but I think hockey is, like, one of the sports that requires the most amount of athleticism.
[00:29:45] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:29:46] Emma Gurnell: Because after playing hockey, you know, like, I'm now playing field hockey for fun down here at College of Charleston.
And, like, you just pick up things so much easier with your coordination and whatnot. And I'll, like, even in games, I, like, make a move, and all my teammates are like, you've never played before. Like, that was such a hockey move. I don't know how you just did that, but it worked.
[00:30:09] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:30:11] Emma Gurnell: So I think hockey really can, you know, lead to so many different things in life. Honestly, just, you know.
[00:30:20] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:30:20] Emma Gurnell: But the biggest thing for me probably has been, like, the friendships.
[00:30:24] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
And. And I love the fact that, like, you know, you've been a leader, it sounds like, within your sport, and you're chosen, people have gone to you, which I think is, you know, that's cool. Carry that with you.
And, you know, I think that you were captain, correct.
[00:30:44] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:30:45] Dr. Sarah: You talked about and leadership during that period of your life.
And I guess, basically, you know, some of the things I've watched, I think that, you know, I think we're getting a very surface level here of you, But I think if we were to dive deep into visually seeing what you were doing, I think it would be so impressive, like, thinking about, like, a movie or documentary made on a female hockey player and what that's been like, especially with your life, how you've been doing it so long. You grew up around it.
You know, you think of some of the Olympic, like, gymnasts. I mean, we watch them, but we don't look at what it took for them to get what they are. And I think that's kind of with your case, definitely. You're so good at hockey. You have a history behind it and the athleticism that you have because of it.
I don't think that just comes natural. I think it comes from all your hard work.
[00:31:44] Emma Gurnell: I think there's also a lot to be said about like the sacrifices that have to be made to become an Olympian, to play in college, to do this or that.
I think there's a lot of work is what you're saying, that goes unrecognized. And it's not just, I mean, I'm not talking necessarily just about myself, but there definitely is a whole nother layer that goes on underneath.
[00:32:08] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
And you know, I love going to hockey games and stuff. What's, what's. What would you say is just your. Whether, say you're in the audience watching live hockey or your. What is your favorite thing about hockey?
[00:32:21] Emma Gurnell: Would you say, like the, the pace of the game. I, you know, compared to other sports, that sometimes I just, I love the action.
You know, even from when I was like 5 years old in the stands, I just remember being like, fight, fight. Like, I just wanted them to fight.
I feel like my perspective on that is maybe shifted a little bit. Although funds are. Fights are fun, but just like, you know, as you get older, I feel like you just in general gain more wisdom. Like.
[00:32:55] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:32:55] Emma Gurnell: Knows that that's like a common thing. And I feel like now that I'm older, like, I can see the game much differently than even how I saw it when I was playing it. So just kind of being on the outside and like being able to see like, you know, if you're at NHL, like arena and you're, you know, it's much easier from that kind of seat, like where you're sitting to like. Yeah, like you can kind of see the play developing before it even happens, which I think is.
I don't know. That's probably my, my favorite thing. But there's so many great things, it's hard to choose one. Right. Like, the environment of hockey games are unbeatable.
[00:33:36] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
My friend. Actually I was in her wedding. I was the reader and she married a hockey player.
I, I'm like, don't quote me, Bonnie. That's her name and her husband's name is Tim. And she married into the Verbeek family. If you know the Verbeek family hockey players do.
[00:33:58] Emma Gurnell: You know, I've heard, I've heard the name. Yeah.
[00:34:01] Dr. Sarah: Pat Verbeek. I guess he played for the Red Wings or.
[00:34:04] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, his.
[00:34:05] Dr. Sarah: Her brother in law. But I was the reader at their wedding and I remember we had a. I don't Know what division? I'm sorry, I don't know how to classify it. Right. But we had a hockey team.
[00:34:16] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:34:16] Dr. Sarah: In Northern California when I was living.
[00:34:18] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:34:18] Dr. Sarah: And I used to love going to all the games, and that's how she met her. Now they live in Canada now.
Awesome.
[00:34:24] Emma Gurnell: Classic.
[00:34:25] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
Lots of kids, so.
And you know, it's funny, that movie, that series that just came out off campus.
[00:34:36] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:34:37] Dr. Sarah: Oh, my gosh.
Like, blew up. It's so good.
[00:34:42] Emma Gurnell: So good.
[00:34:43] Dr. Sarah: Yeah. It's so good. And the author, L. Kennedy of the books. I know.
Did I know that?
[00:34:52] Emma Gurnell: I'm a huge fan.
[00:34:53] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:34:54] Emma Gurnell: Yeah. I. It was my freshman year at Maine, actually.
Maine's like a super international school, so they take a lot of players from Europe. So, like, my best friends are actually from Germany. I had a girl from Hungary on my team. Italy, Switzerland, Denmark. So just all over, you know, plus the regular Canadians and Americans.
But my Hungarian friend, who I sat next to in the locker room, because with hockey you don't really get a break. We're the longest season in Division 1, so we go from September to March.
And so Thanksgiving is spent playing hockey. Like, you don't go home and we got a week off or like five days at Christmas time.
So you're on campus like that whole time. So you're just, you know, with your team, making memories, the whole nine yards. But I remember chit chatting with my friend who's from Hungary, and I said, like, because we'd always. I'm a reader. I love to read books. Okay. And I know she does too. So I said, oh, like, are there any books you'd recommend? She's like, oh, my gosh, you gotta read my favorite series. And this is back in 2022, so this is before. Okay.
This is way before the hype of. Of the whole off campus thing.
[00:36:17] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:36:17] Emma Gurnell: So I read the whole series and I'm like, so obsessed with it. And anytime I. Like when I'm not here, but at my house, at home, I have like all my books lined up. And anytime a friend comes to, like, go to the beach or something, I'm like, gotta read this book. Start with this one. And I give them book one.
But yeah, I'm just obsessed with it and how they follow, like, the different storylines and. Yeah. Of each of the players and. Yeah. It's so good. I'm excited for season two.
[00:36:51] Dr. Sarah: Yes. Yes. I.
I kind of.
[00:36:54] Emma Gurnell: I kept.
[00:36:55] Dr. Sarah: I remember somebody mentioned it to me. They're like, oh, have you. And I'm like, no. And they're like, oh, you. You need to watch it. And I was like, okay, whatever. And then I was like, one day, you know, you just kind of like, you just turn it on.
[00:37:08] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:37:11] Dr. Sarah: And I watched it and I was like, oh, my God.
[00:37:14] Emma Gurnell: I think I finished it in, like, two days. Yeah. It was so good.
I will say, though, like, as a hockey player, like, watching a hockey show.
[00:37:24] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:37:24] Emma Gurnell: It can be kind of cringy, which. Which obviously is a little cringe. Like a little bit anyway. Right. I mean, that's part of what makes the show good. I. I feel.
But at times it's like, that is so not hockey. Like, why didn't, like, a director tell you to, like, do this, to actually make it look like you played hockey?
Just, like, certain scenes, like, they'd be on the ice and like.
Like, you don't, like, you don't have time to, like, stop and, like, have a conversation mid, like, game while the play is going. And just certain things were really funny or just locker room scenes. It just wasn't very realistic, but. But it was still really good. I loved it.
[00:38:09] Dr. Sarah: Yeah, that's good. They need to hire you to help with the scenes.
[00:38:12] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, I know, exactly.
[00:38:14] Dr. Sarah: Hey, bring. Bring Emma on starting in December, so. Excellent. Yeah.
[00:38:22] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:38:22] Dr. Sarah: I thought it was just so good.
And, you know, just being in Charleston and stuff, and I think you mentioned you play. Is it field hockey right now in Charleston? Yeah. How could people get involved with that? Do you kind of want to share about that? About what? Who it's through or what it.
[00:38:44] Emma Gurnell: Yeah. So you have to be a CFC student, unfortunately.
[00:38:47] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:38:48] Emma Gurnell: Yeah. It's. It's just club field hockey.
Just like, I couldn't give up sports altogether. Yeah. Because it is so much of my identity and.
And just like, making friends, like, that's kind of the. I mean, obviously I have skills to make, you know, other friends. It's how I, you know, met you or.
But sports is so good to. To make friends because you have that universal thing in common. Yeah. So I. When I first came. Came down here last August to join the field hockey team and, you know, it's kind of. I'm kind of like the mom of the team because I'm so much older than everyone, but it's a lot of fun. It's like a really good, good group of girls.
[00:39:31] Dr. Sarah: And.
[00:39:33] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, we have tournaments coming up, so.
[00:39:36] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
What would you say is one workout you do for strength training or something with working out in the gym that is helpful with hockey? Do you happen to know one is helpful there? A move that you kind of do to help with the game?
[00:39:52] Emma Gurnell: Well, yeah, like, single leg squats are probably, like, Okay. I would say, honestly, kind of my least favorite because I've done them for so long.
[00:40:03] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:40:04] Emma Gurnell: Like, they kind of get drilled into you when you play hockey. Like, single leg this and single leg that.
But, yeah, kind of like Bulgarian split squats, things like that.
Just squats in general. Like, hockey players are known to, you know, have thicker legs. And, yeah, it's all strength for skating. So.
[00:40:25] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
[00:40:26] Emma Gurnell: But I've been loving Ethos, and I go to their rush classes, so that's currently what I'm enjoying. I'm kind of, you know, backed off the. The specific hockey training, I should say.
[00:40:40] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
Is there a culture within hockey, whether guys or girls, that maybe everybody doesn't know about anything that you think. Is there a culture within teammates or in hockey that you think might be interesting or unique that maybe people don't know?
[00:40:59] Emma Gurnell: Well, the biggest thing for me is definitely, like, the lingo, like, the language that, like, hockey players. Oh, it's like, definitely
[00:41:09] Dr. Sarah: no.
[00:41:09] Emma Gurnell: Like, I feel like girls, like, we don't do it, but, like, boys 100 do it.
[00:41:14] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:41:15] Emma Gurnell: Which is funny because, like, I was speaking to my German friends the other week, and they were like, you've been living in the south for too long. I feel like I hear an accent and. But then it's weird when I talk to my hockey guy friends, and I'm like, you sound so Canadian right now. And they're not even Canadian. It's just the hockey, like, accent lingo.
[00:41:36] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:41:36] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:41:38] Dr. Sarah: So is it more of a tone or you guys, like, use different words?
[00:41:42] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, they, like, shorten words like okay and. Yeah. I don't know. It's this whole think of something share.
Well, it's like the Canadian A. Like, they always say A.
Like, anybody. Like, I don't know. It's just like. I don't know. It's too cringe to even trying to even try and do it. I'd be too embarrassed.
But no, it's definitely a thing.
Like, if you go, like, shooting, like, the net, you can shoot bar down, but they could be like, Bardown Ski. Like, they just say bar downski.
Yeah. Instead of bar down, it's bar downski.
Just, like, certain weird. Like, I don't know. But it's like, for everything in life, they've got. I can't even create it because sometimes I just look at my friends and I'm like, where did you just pull that from?
[00:42:40] Dr. Sarah: So I love it.
[00:42:42] Emma Gurnell: Okay.
[00:42:42] Dr. Sarah: That's funny. And what would you say?
Anything. Diet with hockey players, Is there anything like, are you guys super strict with your diet, would you say? Or do you think it's maybe one of those parts that you can be more lenient? Just curious.
[00:42:59] Emma Gurnell: I think diet, like, I want to. When I was at University of Maine, I was a food science, human nutrition, dietetics major.
So I'm, like, super into.
I don't know if diet's the right word, but, like, just food and how to fuel your body in general.
I think, you know, everyone's different, and you definitely learn that in college. Like, some people can eat super poorly and still perform super well. Yeah. And some people really have to be more diligent of what they're putting into their bodies.
For me, I, like, don't like to restrict myself, so I'm, like, a happy in between. But I'm also not gonna, like, especially before a game or something. Like, I'm. I have, like, my routines of what I would do.
But. Yeah, no, I feel like all sports are kind of. It's what you want to put into it, right? Like, yeah. You know, there's science that when you fuel your body, certain ways that you'll perform at your best. So it's just really like, if you.
If you want to commit to that. Really.
[00:44:07] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
Okay.
Any.
Would you say with hockey to kind of, like. I would say maybe. I don't know, baseball, basketball. I'm not really sure. But I know with golf, I feel like it stands out the most. Like, brands of clubs or, you know, the balls, the branding. With certain sports, would you say hockey has any that stand out with branding or, like, brands that stand out with the equipment or anything?
[00:44:35] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, right now, it's basically Bauer and CCM are kind of the big ones. There's skates that are true.
Yeah, I.
[00:44:49] Dr. Sarah: Would you say all women and men, Are they kind of the same brands?
[00:44:53] Emma Gurnell: Like, it's all the same.
[00:44:54] Dr. Sarah: Are they different? They're the same. Okay.
[00:44:56] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, they're all the same.
I mean, you can get things customized to fit you the way you want, and that would be kind of the only thing that changes. Like, there's base gear, you know, But I feel like they have that in every sport.
Um, but no, I would say CCM and Bauer are definitely, like, the two. And when you reach like, the professional level, it really just depends on, like, your sponsorship. Like, so the NHL, the players in the NHL and stuff, like, they have a. They're either sponsored by one or the other. So, like, their equipment will Be all of that.
[00:45:32] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
Yeah.
Were there any funny routines or like, habits or kind of like superstitions with hockey that like, before a game, like, they have to wear the same socks or the same.
Are there any funny things like that that maybe even your brothers did? And by the way, are your brothers currently still doing hockey?
[00:45:54] Emma Gurnell: No, I didn't even talk about it. But we're actually like a sailing family, so we both played. Well, you can't really play sailing, but they sailed in college.
[00:46:04] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:46:05] Emma Gurnell: Both captains of their sailing teams at Jacksonville University in Washington College. So I'm kind of the black sheep of the family.
I went for the frozen ice instead of that one instead of the water.
But I.
I know mine that I like, get me would get made fun of when I was dealing with my injuries. I just always was like, I always had like a foam roller in hand and a massage gun in the other.
I'm just always would be stretching. But people definitely can be weird of like how they take their stick or like how they put on their equipment and need it in the right order.
My weirdest one is probably like, I don't like being in my hockey gear. Like, I just don't want to like, sit in my gear for 30 minutes before the game.
So I just get dressed like, I speed dress like. I dress in like 5, 6 minutes before the game where other people are like, nervously, like, shaking.
They're like, you gotta be ready. I'm like, I know. I got it down to the T.
Yeah. I just. I want to be dressed ready to go and then get right on the ice. I don't want to like. I don't know. That was always kind of a part of my routine. But I also had bright neon compression sleeves.
Kind of look like a Jazzer size, like outfit or something.
Okay. That are definitely well known of people that I played hockey with. Definitely know me for that.
[00:47:50] Dr. Sarah: And what would you say are your kind of future plans or goals with. And whether it's career, college, anything you want to share and if maybe. Do you see coaching in your future? Do you still see hockey in your future?
[00:48:07] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, I'm kind of. I wouldn't say I'm at a crossroad, but I'm trying to figure out what my next steps will be here come graduation December.
I'm kind of in between going, well, no matter what, I need to go back for more school.
So I'm debating the clinical psychology route.
Clinical social work or physical therapy.
But I do also know myself and I know right now that I am not like, mentally in the headspace or financially, like, ready to go to grad school or do more school. Like, it's been five years of high school now, four and a half of college. So I just need.
I'm just looking for a job to get under my feet, live away from home.
I would love to go back to actually a boarding school and, like, work in their admissions process. I think I, like, just temporarily for a handful, a few years or something like that, just to, you know, also part of, like, giving back, you know, people that helped me get to boarding school. Um, but that's kind of where my head's at right now. I. You know, it might change tomorrow. I have no idea.
But right now, I.
I work at Lululemon, and it's a great company with amazing benefits. Like, that's how I go to Ethos with VIP membership.
So there's lots to be said about that. There's definitely opportunities that I have to, like, claim, climb the ladder within Lululemon as well. If I wanted to do that temporarily while I save money, but the options, honestly, are endless right now, I could.
Yeah. I don't know.
[00:50:00] Dr. Sarah: That's a great mindset that the options are endless because they are. The world is yours.
[00:50:03] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
[00:50:08] Dr. Sarah: No, and that, you know, the fact that you mentioned clinical psychologists. Correct.
I'm not sure if you caught it, but I'll just recommend it.
Dr. Kathy Platoni was on one of my episodes, and she's a clinical trained psychologist with her doctor, and she works with, like, the SWAT teams and stuff, and use that in law enforcement and with. I don't know if that's the avenue you want to go, but it's just interesting. Yeah.
[00:50:39] Emma Gurnell: There's so many different pathways, and kind of the end goal for me is just to do something that I enjoy. I know I want to help people, and it's just now figuring out how I can, you know, use those strengths to my advantage.
[00:50:55] Dr. Sarah: Yeah.
And. Yeah. So everybody listening. You're gonna catch. I'm gonna start sharing some adorable and amazing pictures of her playing because, like I said, we can listen to us, but I just feel like seeing her play is so powerful in seeing her out on the ice, like, it just shows what a badass you are.
And.
Yeah, I just think. I don't know why. I think of, like, playing hockey and this is just me. I think that's why I like golf and I support, like, contact sports, to me, scare the crap out of me. I'm just going to be honest, like, so I think of, like, Being on the ice and, like, having somebody come at me, like.
[00:51:37] Emma Gurnell: Yeah.
[00:51:37] Dr. Sarah: I don't know.
[00:51:38] Emma Gurnell: I think my two older brothers got me over that one.
[00:51:42] Dr. Sarah: Okay.
[00:51:42] Emma Gurnell: Growing up with them, they're always, you know, putting me in my place. So.
[00:51:46] Dr. Sarah: Yeah, I've never really been a big, like, contact sport competitor type person, so you probably think I'm, like, a wussy, but.
[00:51:55] Emma Gurnell: No, I. Yeah, I play golf. I. I love golf, so.
[00:51:58] Dr. Sarah: Yeah. Oh, maybe we can go golfing sometime.
[00:52:00] Emma Gurnell: Yes, do it.
[00:52:02] Dr. Sarah: Yeah, I'm always.
[00:52:03] Emma Gurnell: I need to hit the driving range first, get some cobwebs out, but.
[00:52:06] Dr. Sarah: Oh, sure. You're.
Yeah, I really love golfing and I enjoy it and.
Yeah, my grandma taught me, so.
Yeah, I guess in a way I've thought about, like, it's a big mental sport.
[00:52:24] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, it's very mental.
[00:52:26] Dr. Sarah: Yeah. If I wasn't scared of the contact part, maybe I could do hockey.
Probably not,
[00:52:38] Emma Gurnell: but.
[00:52:38] Dr. Sarah: Yeah. Anything else you want to share with our audience, Emma, today with, you know, anything that you think would be fun or anything you kind of want to leave with or share about, maybe your family, parents, brothers, anything.
[00:52:55] Emma Gurnell: Oh, I just think, you know, sometimes, like, the right decision isn't always, you know, necessarily the easiest one. And so, you know, you never know, like, what opportunities are going to come from, like, stepping away from, like, something that you love so much. And, like, so many opportunities have, like, happened for me since being in Charleston and things I would not have experienced, like, 100, would not have experienced them if I was still playing a Division 1 sport. So, you know, there's always silver linings to everything.
So.
[00:53:31] Dr. Sarah: Awesome. Amazing.
Well, everybody listening.
Check out Emma Grinnell and you know her history of being a hockey player. And if, you know, you have any daughters or little girls interested, check her out. And I'll be sharing pictures of her on social media with Dr. Random and all that to promote this episode. So you guys will get to see all of that.
And.
Yeah. And what's a way if people want to get in touch with you, is there anything you want to share, you're comfortable with for people to get in contact with you? Maybe they want to talk to you, meet you, or.
[00:54:07] Emma Gurnell: Yeah, you can reach out to me on Instagram.
It's the first initial, my name E, and then my last name, Grinnell. G, U, R, M, E, L, L.
[00:54:18] Dr. Sarah: Yeah. Yeah.
All right, everybody will thank you so much today for tuning in and watching or listening into the Dr. Random podcast. And, yeah, we had fun talking about hockey. Another fun random topic. So thank you again, Emma, for coming on. I enjoyed talking with you.
And as always, as I said on the Dr. Random podcast, ciao.
