Hockey has meant a great deal to Alex Simpson.

As a youngster, Simpson remembers going to the hockey rink to watch her older brother play.

She liked the game, and was so determined to be part of it, that there wasn't anything that would stop her from putting on the equipment, lacing up the skates and grabbing a hockey stick.

Back then, Simpson recalls getting a bag of skittles to keep her happy.

It was at the age of six, that an organ in her digestive system stopped working. Simpson was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes and measures needed to be taken to control her blood sugar levels. Since then, Simpson carries a small insulin pump (and some energy bars) that she takes with her to regulate her levels.

"If you're not careful, limitations can guide your life," said the now 23-year old. "If you say you can't do something, you're setting yourself up for failure – and that's not me."

Active in sport at Holy Trinity High School in Oakville, playing rep hockey with the Oakville Hornets and taking on a variety of sports while getting her Degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, Simpson has always had a soft spot for hockey.

At McMaster, the school didn't have a varsity women's hockey team and her parents also hinted that the focus might better be on academics. But now, with her Degree and in the popular post-grad Sports and Event Marketing Program at George Brown College, Simpson wondered if she would get a chance to don the competitive skates again.

"When I saw some flyers and a story about how they were trying to start up a women's hockey team at George Brown, I was intrigued and had to be part of it," said Simpson, whose objective in life is to work in management for major music festivals.

When organizers formed a team, one that would compete in a series of tournaments, because there was no formal league in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, Simpson was on the roster and will play right wing.

"I have this passion for sports and just love being part of a team," she said.

At Holy Trinity, where she was an Ontario scholar for four years, Simpson was also female Rookie Athlete of the Year and later Junior Athlete of the Year as well as Most Valuable Player in field hockey. - DG