BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
Helen VanDamme was one of 21 recipients of the 2021-2022 Tyler Putnam Award. She was the only female to win the award at ceremonies held at the Webster Country Club in Webster, NY.
A member of the Rochester Girls Edge hockey team, VanDamme began playing the game when she was four years old. Interestingly, she the sport didn’t appeal to her so she quit the game for year.
“But I went back after just one year and have been playing it ever since,” said VanDamme, who continued by stating the main reason for returning. “My brother was also playing the game.
“He really loved the game. Plus, we were always at the rink with his games, so I decided to go back to playing.”
As a youth VanDamme played for the Grizzlies and at Webster before joining the Edge.
This past season she played for the 16U Edge team. But she has had a lot of great memories playing hockey.
“My best memory was winning the State’s as a member of the 14U team,” recalled VanDamme, the daughter of Sigmund and Dawn Van Damme. “It was my last year of playing at the 14U level.
“We struggled a bit at the beginning of that season. We played really well at the end to win it all.
“We went to the Nationals with the 19U team last year. We won there as well. They were all great experiences.”
VanDamme has found that hockey has been a great growing experience for her.
“When I focus on hockey, it helps me take my mind off of other things that may be happening in my life,” remarked VanDamme, who has a sister, Vivian and brother, Gunner. “I’ve also made so many good friends since playing hockey.
“I would have never known many of them were it not for hockey. It gives me a goal in my future, something that I can work towards.”
As a junior in high school, VanDamme is beginning to look into colleges and continuing her hockey career, while pursuing a career in business.
How did she feel about being one of the Putnam Award winners?
“I was very happy winning it,” answered VanDamme, a junior at Mendon High School in Pittsford, NY. “I think it was a cool experience.
“Winning it was a validation for me that hard work pays off. And it makes me want to work even harder.”
One of VanDamme’s idols growing up has been Kendall Coyne.
“She’s very inspirational,” remarked VanDamme, who also plays field hockey for her high school varsity team. “She is so fast and she is so dedicated to the game.”
Van Damme has also been very impressed with the growth of the game for girls and women in general.
“I helped at tryout this past year for the younger girls,” remembered VanDamme. “It was so cool to see how many younger girls were there.
“The growth of the game for girls is really cool. The game is really growing.
“We had buddies (ages 10 and 12 year-olds) this year on our team. That was really great to help these younger girls get better at their game.
“That’s why I would like to come back someday as a coach in this game. I want to help to continue the growth of this game.”
(Janet Schultz Photography, NY Hockey OnLine)
