Chapter 5: Work Ethic

"So, Teddi Conway, what made you decide to petition to start a girls' hockey team here at Minnetonka Preparatory?" Milton Ryerson asked. He had his phone set up, recording every answer they gave. They were seated in the journalism classroom, a room filled with past publications of the school paper, tapes of past games the sports teams played, artwork from the cartoonists, old typewriters, and high-end computers. It was apparent that it was also shared with the A.V. Club and the television station, as video cameras and microphones were everywhere. It made Teddi wonder how many famous journalists graduated from this preppy school.

"Well, I was the captain of the Ducks for four years, and Evan Morrow from the J.V. team has been my alternate captain for just as long," Teddi said, her voice filled with a deep-rooted passion. "I was on the ice from the time I was four years old, and my dad had been one of the original Ducks. Whether I was a girl didn't matter; what mattered was I loved to play. And I just want to play hockey."

"Interesting," Milton said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Would you say that you think the reason why this school refuses to start a girls' hockey program is steeped in sexism?"

"Partially," said Teddi.

"And Maya Kasper, Lauren Gibby, Sofi Hanson-Bhatt," the editor-in-chief, Maggie Halstead, addressed Teddi's best friends, "do you share the same opinion?"

"We've played as long as she has," Sofi said, her voice filled with a shared determination. "If we were given a fair shot, we could prove we're more than good enough. We know girls cannot be boys. But has that stopped girls from joining boys' wrestling teams in the past? The original Ducks were a co-ed team. We're not asking for special treatment, just a fair opportunity to play the sport we love."

"But what about the concerns around unfair disadvantages? Like, let's say, muscle build. Estrogen. Testosterone. Height. Speed."

"In an expedition match, that wouldn't make a difference," said Teddi confidently. "And doesn't the J.V. team play against Varsity in an expedition match at both the beginning and end of the season? Maybe if they allowed us to play in that match, we could show that starting a girls' hockey team here would be worth it. Then, girls' safety won't be a concern once a girls' team is formed. I mean, there's plenty more I could say about that, but I don't want to sound like I'm . . . you know . . ." She didn't want to say anymore and bit her tongue hard. If she were to go down that route, then she would need to cleanse herself and talk about something less controversial, like Russia versus Ukraine. She felt her face coloring significantly and ducked her head down, but her confidence in the team's safety was unwavering.

"I think we do," said Maggie. "You don't have to say. I know it's been quite a hot topic for a while."

"But does talent equal leadership?" Milton asked.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Lauren, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, from what has been going around the school, you haven't convinced anyone. What makes you believe that putting a bunch of names down on a piece of paper is going to make a difference?" asked Maggie, quirking an eyebrow.

"You never know unless you try," said Teddi. "And honestly, I think this school could use a little more girl power around here. Yes, there are plenty of other athletic opportunities for girls. But what about the girls who'd grown up playing hockey their whole lives? What would you tell them? That they should switch to figure skating because figure skating is more 'feminine' and 'traditional?' This year, the Professional Women's Hockey League is debuting; colleges across the nation have women's teams, and the only way any girl will have a real opportunity to get noticed by those colleges is if they're given opportunities to play at this level. It all starts now."

"Interesting," said Milton, smiling. "Well, why don't you tell me a little more about your history?"

So they did. The girls filled Milton in about their time playing in Peewees with the boys on the J.V. team, how Teddi started off as a Duck before her father founded the Don't Bothers, and how, despite not winning a state championship title as the Don't Bothers, they earned the title of the Ducks in an underground expedition wager against Coach Daryl Tingman's Ducks. They talked to him about how they'd spent their summers at Camp EPIC, how they won the state championship last year, and that it had been Teddi's invaluable shot that gave them that win in the final seconds of the game. Milton even asked them about their dating lives; Teddi said she was taken with Logan LaRue, and Sofi explained she and Evan Morrow were going steady.

"I think I have enough for the article. Thank you, ladies. You will see your names published in the paper next week," Milton said, smiling.

"Thanks for hearing us out and giving us a chance to talk," said Lauren. "Maybe then, more people around here will be willing to do the same."

"Of course."

The first practice with the J.V. Barbarians team wasn't what Evan thought it would be. They were supposed to wear new orange-and-black Barbarians jerseys with an ugly school mascot on the front. Varsity practiced first, and when J.V. went into the rink, they saw the Varsity team practicing. Spencer Vargas and Alec Kentinsworth really dominated on the ice. Evan knew Billy wouldn't be getting as much playing time as the others. Being selected for Varsity as a freshman was an honor, but not being able to play for most of the game would sting for Billy. Sam, Koob, and Henry felt the same way, but at least Sam and Henry would be on the same line together. Evan understood why; Sam had issues with pumping the brakes, and Henry was still very young.

Though Evan felt almost naked, not wearing his "A" patch, let alone a "C." For years, he and Teddi had been the captains, and it angered him knowing that the girls wouldn't be allowed to play with them, because he knew they were better than a lot of the boys at their level. Not that he could deny they had a real talent on the team; in addition to himself, Sam, Henry, Koobler, Gordy (first-line left wing), Nick (first-line right wing), and Logan (second-line left center), they had Finley Vargas as third-line left winger, the Johnson brothers Codi and George as a first-line defense, Anthony Herondale as their new first-line goalie who had a much faster stick than Billy did, Gabriel Turner who as a talented puck-handler and a second-line right wing, Justin Maywood who came to them from the Cardinals and was an incredible second-line defenseman, and Shane Stevens, a talented second-line right-side center who got accepted into the academy on a full athletic scholarship to play hockey due to him bringing home the state championship title for his team back in Boston six years in a row.

This made the J.V. hockey team consist of fifteen new freshman members in addition to the sophomores that didn't make the Varsity cut: Peter Petronski (one of the second-line left centers), Oliver Underwood (a second-line left defenseman), Travis Bowman (a right-side defenseman on first-line), Andrew Mizrahi (second-line right wing), Jimmy Moreno (second-line goalie), Brandon Davis (third-line right-side center), and Hector Morales (second-line left winger). This made it a total of twenty-one boys on the J.V. team, a much larger roster than what Evan was used to.

While sitting on the bench, waiting for Coach Vargas to arrive, the J.V. team was unexpectedly approached by the Varsity team, who had just finished their practice. Tension and curiosity filled the air as the two teams briefly crossed paths, each sizing the other up. Alec Kentinsworth skated up to them, wearing an unmistakable sneer on his face, and was backed by his defenseman, Stone, along with a few other boys. The only ones who seemed keen on leaving them alone were Hal Vargas's son, Spencer, and the defenseman, Tommy Phillips, whom Maya had been admiring the other day.

"Good luck at practice today, ladies," sneered Kentinsworth, and when he eyed Sam, Brandon, and Henry, he added, "What do they call you guys? The Oreo line?"

Sam and Brandon (who were two of the black kids on their team) nearly jumped up from where they sat on the bench, and Henry looked about ready to start mouthing off, but Evan stopped them with a quick, stern look and a quiet, "Guys, no."

"Was that really necessary?" demanded Spencer Vargas.

"Oh, whatever, Vargas! I'm surprised you even made Varsity as a sophomore since you're such a pansy," Stone laughed stupidly.

"Shut up, Stone!" snapped Finley Vargas, getting up from his seat, his puberty-induced voice nearly going up in pitch. "Don't talk to him like that!" Evan could hear the boy's pitch changing, going from not as deep to something much higher, almost like a girl's, but he brushed that thought aside; the kid was going through puberty late; that was all it was.

"Don't tell me what to do, freshie! You're so small I'd mistake you for a girl," laughed Kentinsworth.

Finley's face went a hot shade of red as he looked down at his skates, clearly embarrassed, but Spencer was just as quick to stick up for his little brother.

"Hey, you leave my little brother alone, you hear me?" Spencer demanded, smacking Kentinsworth in the shoulder forcefully. "He hasn't done anything to you! None of them have! So, why don't you just shut up?"

"Come on, Alec, just leave them alone," pleaded Billy.

"Oh, really, you're gonna make me, Banksy?" challenged Kentinsworth, and then they heard the piercing shrill of a whistle cutting through the air, and Coach Vargas yelling, "Varsity, off the ice, now! Your practice is over! Get out of here!"

Evan and the others heaved sighs of relief that Varsity was going away. The less they had to interact with those jerks, the better. But at least Tommy, Spencer, and Billy seemed to be on their side. They watched as Varsity skated off, with Billy and Spencer shooting sympathetic glances in their direction as they went off to the Varsity locker room on the other side of the room. Coach Vargas signaled J.V. with his whistle.

"J.V., on the ice now! Take a knee!" he barked, clearly in no mood to fool around.

Evan, ever the captain at heart, led the boys onto the ice. He knelt down at Vargas's feet, glancing up, the others following his lead. And Coach Vargas wasted no time getting right to the point.

"This isn't the Peewees anymore, and you're not children; you're young adults. From now on, you will be treated like adults. Hockey at this level is hard work. I care more about work ethic than wins. You need to show me that you want it. Anything can change, and you need to adapt. You can't control your circumstances. However, the way you control how you feel, think, and what you do about your current circumstances is what helps build character." When he said that, he cast an unwavering glance at Finley, who stared back at his father with a sort of admiration. "Suck it up, buttercups. There is only do or do not; there is no try. Also, stay clear of the Varsity until the J.V. versus Varsity match. Now, on your feet. We're going to warm up with twenty laps. Let's go!" He blew his whistle shrilly at them, which was their signal to jump to their feet and line up and begin laps.

Evan led them by skating hard, going as fast as he could. They skated laps under Coach Vargas' watchful eye. He set the pace, and the others followed as best they could. Evan even fell behind the others to help out Koobler, who was going much slower than the others and still didn't have a lot of confidence.

"Bend your knees, Koob, like this," Evan said, backing up and skating backward. "Keep control of your edges, that's it."

Koobler nodded. "Okay, yeah, I think I got this."

"Yeah, you do."

After laps, Vargas had them line up to display their skill level. Even though he'd already seen what they could do in the try-outs, he wanted to see how they played with the sophomores who were still on J.V. Peter, Oliver, Travis, Andrew, Brandon, and Hector separated off into their own groups of freshmen players, lining up in front of Jimmy and Anthony who were in the goalposts. They lined up and took turns taking shots at the net. When Jimmy or Anthony caught the pucks in their gloves, they said things like, "Nice shot," or "Sorry, guys!"

Anthony proved to be the right choice for a first-line goalie; his glove was swift, his stick swifter, and he covered every inch of the post. On the other hand, Jimmy was a little rustier; it made Evan wonder if he'd always been the alternate goalie, given how many shots he kept letting into the net on his side; no wonder Jimmy was still on J.V., and he probably would be well into his junior year. Evan made a mental note to give the guy some pointers.

Vargas didn't let up after the drills in front of the net. He had them even do a scrimmage, where Koobler Justin, Travis, and Oliver checked many of them into the boards; Koob was really living up to his nickname "The Grinder" – he threw his weight around, and while he wasn't the fastest skater or the most skilled puck handler, he played with a ton of heart and was working a lot harder than he did in the past.

By the practice's end, all the boys were winded and panting for breath. At least Vargas was generous enough to allow them swigs of water, and he even offered them Gatorade at the end of practice, tossing them all bottles of the red-colored sports drink from a cooler that he'd brought with him.

"All right, for a first practice, that was good," he said. "But I also expect and demand that you do even better because you may think you're good, but there's always the chance another team could be better than you. Our first game is against the Eden Hall Warriors next Friday night. And I'm sure you all have heard of them; they're good, really good. They came close to taking the title of state champion last year for Junior Varsity, but we won by the skin of our teeth. So you've got to be prepared for anything. Now, hit the showers. You have twenty minutes to clean up the locker room at the end of each practice. And I expect you guys to be back at the dorms before curfew. You have homework to do."

Evan nodded. So far, this guy was all right, aside from cutting the girls from the team. And he understood what Coach Vargas had to say about adapting and work ethic; it made him realize that if he wanted a "C" or an "A," he'd have to earn it. His mom may have given him that title because she'd been the coach, but Vargas wanted to see what he was capable of before giving him that title. But still, there was a part of him that couldn't help feeling bitter knowing that Teddi, Sofi, Lauren, and Maya weren't allowed to play with them. With that in mind, he skated up to Coach Vargas.

"Um, Coach, can I talk to you for a second?"

"What is it, Morrow?"

"Sir, Coach, I know that there's no girls' hockey program here," Evan said. "But I really think Sofi, Maya, Lauren, and Teddi could be an asset to the team."

Coach Vargas looked back at him with a hint of sympathy, and Evan knew that his words hadn't convinced the coach much at all. "I know you want to play with your original team. But this is high school, not the Peewees. There are no co-ed sports at this level. And the school won't go for it."

"But you should've given them the shot to show you what they can do," Evan argued. "Teddi's shot won us the state championship last year."

"I'm not denying that they're talented. But unless the board members and the deans of students have a change of heart, a girls' hockey team won't be a possibility. I've done all I could to try and make it happen; I wanted to push for it to happen, but Dean Donald Kentinsworth firmly believes that girls have no place playing in a sport where physical combat is involved. And his wife Melissa holds the same attitude."

Evan rolled his eyes and muttered a slew of cusses under his breath.

"Ease up on that language, Morrow," Vargas said sternly. "Now, hit the showers. You've got homework to do, and I need you at your best for tomorrow's practice."

Evan sighed. "All right." With that, he walked off to the J.V. locker room, where the other guys had already begun undressing and showering. But what stood out to him was that Finley Vargas wasn't changing where the other guys could see him; he was changing in one of the bathroom stalls. Why, though, Evan wasn't sure. Maybe the guy was just self-conscious of his body not being as tall or as strong-looking as the other boys on the team, most of whom had already gone through puberty or were halfway through that stage of life.

Evan just stripped off his jersey and pads, staring at the Barbarian logo in disgust. He wasn't a Barbarian. He was a Duck. He would always be a Duck. But he knew as long as he and his friends went to this snob fest of a private school, they needed to bear the logo of the Barbarian, a meaningless title, as far as he was concerned. He just threw the jersey down onto the bench after removing his pads, and then he ripped off his shirt, wincing in disgust at the smell of sweat that clung to it. He wanted nothing more than to shower and change into his sweats and a fresh shirt. But before he did so, he really needed to take a leak. He headed off toward the bathroom, allowing the other guys to shower first. But as he stood at the urinal, he was still curious as to why Vargas's son, Finley, was hiding in the bathroom stall.

"You all right in there, dude?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah." Finley's puberty-induced voice squeaked out; Evan peeked underneath the stall; it surprised him that Finley's legs appeared to be . . . shaven and that they seemed far smaller than the average guy's.

"Um, Vargas, do you mind stepping out of there, dude? What's taking you so long to get dressed?"

"Everything's fine. Uh, just give me a second."

Evan shook his head. He had his own suspicions about Finley Vargas, given that the kid appeared to be a late bloomer with puberty. Still, Evan wasn't one to judge anybody; he remembered how awkward it had been going through puberty last year, trying to grow into your body; he wouldn't wish it upon anybody. It was the worst thing ever: hearing your voice crack and having people judge you for it, growing body hair, experiencing his very first erection when he made out with Sofi one day, breaking out with pimples across his forehead. But still, there was a part of him that seriously doubted Finley was just a late bloomer.

Sighing, he turned to head to the sink to wash his hands. But as he stood in front of the mirror and pumped the soap into his hands, he noticed Finley Vargas leaving the bathroom stall, clearly thinking it was safe to do so. But when Finley stepped out, he . . . no . . . she . . . was revealed to have medical tape wrapped around her torso, clearly pressing her developing breasts down as she pulled her undershirt on.

"Wait . . . dude, you're – you're a girl?" Evan whispered, shocked.

Finley's face went bright red as she hissed, "Shut up! Don't tell anybody, or you'll find your tongue wrapped around your kidney!" She spoke in her normal, girlish voice, not at all the fake, deepening tone she'd used around the other guys.

Evan blushed deeply. "Sorry, I'm just . . . does your dad know that you're . . .?" It suddenly added to why Finley was on the third line. Her dad let her join the team this way, but she'd not have as much playing time to ensure she would be safe out there.

"Of course, he knows, stupid!" Finley narrowed her eyes at him before stalking up to Evan, whispering in his ear, "Yeah, I'm a girl. I'm just a girl trying to play hockey. And since this school hasn't evolved past the 1950s, I knew the only way to get on the boys' hockey team would be to masquerade as a boy."

"And your dad's okay with this?" Evan asked incredulously. He found it hard to believe that Vargas would agree to this arrangement and allow his daughter to play dress-up and pretend to be a boy. But looking at Finley, he could tell that her dad was very much in on this whole thing.

"He is," Finley whispered. "But please, don't say a word. I'm begging you. This is my shot to show everyone what I can do at this level. And they won't let me play if they learn the truth."

Evan nodded. After witnessing what Sofi, Lauren, Maya, and Teddi were going through, he admired Finley's guts; she had a set of balls bigger than any guy's and a determination that made her fearless. It almost reminded him of Teddi, that steadfastness and that will to never give up. She wanted to play so badly that she was willing to bend the rules. He figured the very least that he could do for her was to keep her secret.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he assured her gently.

Finley nodded back gratefully, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek out of gratitude before she raced back to her stall and grabbed a baggy t-shirt, which she shoved over her head before pulling on a zip-up hoodie, which would hide the rest of her feminine frame and allow her to blend in with the boys.

Evan could only stand there, rooted to the spot. He knew that he would do whatever it took to protect Finley's secret because if this were the only way that any girl could play hockey at this school, he would support Finley one hundred percent. Maybe this would show the school that girls were just as capable as boys when it came to hockey, and he suddenly felt a swell of respect for Coach Vargas partaking in this arrangement. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad after all. If only Sofi, Teddi, Lauren, and Maya were here to see this. But there was also the chance they wouldn't believe it if they saw it.

The Minnetonka Bugle, September 11th, 2023

CONSPIRACY IN THE MAKING?

Freshmen Girls Launch Campaign for Female Hockey Team (And Abolishment of Traditional Gender Norms)

By: Milton Ryerson, Sports Reporter

In a time where the temperature surrounding controversies around girls and boys playing on the same sports teams is at its highest, Teddi Conway, former captain of the District Five Mighty Ducks and honorable recipient of Minnetonka Prep's generous academic scholarship, has started a petition to push for a girls' hockey team.

The hockey season begins this week with the first official game against the Eden Hall Warriors. The season runs from September until January, and Teddi Conway's petition is a bold attempt to enforce what she sees as more opportunities for gender equality, even though the school already has numerous athletic opportunities for the female student body.

Most know how Conway, Sofi Hanson-Bhatt, Lauren Gibby, and Maya Kasper attempted to try out for the boys' hockey team, only to be told they couldn't join because the team isn't co-ed. By starting this petition, these girls are sending out a very loud, clear message about where they stand on the school's position on gender roles and traditional feminine sports.

The question is: Will the board members take her student protest seriously? It would be quite interesting to see what this will look like if the board members decide to allow her, Hanson-Bhatt, Gibby, and Kasper to play in the annual Junior Varsity versus Varsity expedition match at the end of the month.

Another question is this: Would there be enough interest in the female student body to join a female hockey team? Granted, more female hockey teams have formed throughout the state of Minnesota at the high school level. But if the audience or interest in participation isn't there for it, then why push for it to happen? Conway had this to say:

"I think this school could use a little more girl power around here. You never know unless you try."

To be fair, that is true. However, their efforts have been hampered by the male population expressing little to no support for their cause. When Conway was asked what she'd do about that, she said that even if it meant suing the school board, she'd find a way to play hockey. Perhaps she was referring to the influence of her godmother, Senator Connie Germaine, an original member of the Ducks who brought home gold for Team USA in 1994. Or, maybe she was referring to her close friendship with the new third-line goalie for the Varsity team, Billy Banks, whose father, Adam Banks, not only played with Team USA in 1994, but also works as a famous public defender at Ducksworth Savor and Gross who had been involved in several gender discrimination suits in the state of Minnesota ever since he worked as a paralegal. From the sounds of it, Conway is willing to do whatever it takes to deconstruct the systems and replace them with newer, more equal ones for female athletes.

What does this mean? Is Conway simply demanding fair play? Or does she wish to abolish all the traditions that Minnetonka Preparatory has been built upon since its inception? There have been calls from several students over the past few years to change the name of the school mascot to something other than the Barbarians, with quite a few expressing that the usage of the word Barbarian is offensive. It appears that after Conway started her protest, this started a new pyre, with the student council president, Isabel Granger, suddenly reigniting her own petition to change the school mascot name, an effort that she began as a freshman, but it was shut down due to the school's board members believing there weren't enough signatures.

It's also important to note that Teddi Conway is dating Logan LaRue, the newest second-line left center of the J.V. Barbarians.

Teddi gasped, her cheeks flaring hotly as she read the paper that morning at breakfast. A week had passed since she'd given her interview with Milton Ryerson, and already, things were going from bad to worse. It was horrible enough that her attempts to start a girls' hockey program were declared "feminazi" motivations. But knowing the head sports columnist was declaring her actions as an attempt to "abolish" some stupid tradition the school was founded upon years ago? It made her sound like some radical politician looking to destabilize and demoralize everything the school stood for when that was the farthest thing from the case. She pointed the article out to Evan, Logan, and the others at breakfast, her entire face red.

"Can you believe this?" she demanded. She pointed to the paragraph in the article that painted her as something she wasn't. "I . . . I didn't say that! They took my words out of context! I'm not trying to abolish any traditions. I'm just trying to advocate for more equal opportunities for girls!"

"Teddi, we know that's not what you actually think," Logan said gently, winding an arm around her.

"This is insane!" Sofi said. "Don't they have someone supervising the paper? Somebody to say, 'This is slanderous trash, you cannot publish it'?"

"Yeah," scoffed Oliver Underwood, the second-line defense on the J.V. team. "That senile old fossil, Mr. Dearborn; he's the journalism teacher and the paper's advisor. And he's well past retirement; I'm pretty sure he's seventy. I don't know why he's still teaching here."

"Maybe they should force him into retirement and get a new journalism teacher," commented Lauren, swirling her spoon through her cornflakes.

"And why the hell did Milton mention you and me dating?" Logan asked. "What does that have to do with hockey commentary?"

"We were the 'it' couple of the Ducks; I think everyone around here knows that you stick by me no matter what," Teddi sighed, feeling her face burn.

"Well, you shouldn't pay attention to this crap, Teddi," said Evan. "Just hold your head up and keep fighting for women's rights on this campus. I know better than anyone here that you can make a difference. Just believe in yourself and know that you're doing the right thing."

Teddi sighed. While it felt good to have Evan's vote of confidence, it was not comforting knowing that the school paper was publishing gossip about her and her friends. She just hoped the Eden Hall Warriors versus Minnetonka Prep Barbarians Junior Varsity game on Friday night would go far better than her student protest.