EAST LANSING, Mich — The USA women's ice hockey team's Olympic gold medal victory is inspiring a new generation of athletes at the Bigby Ice Cube in East Lansing, where young players are dreaming of their own Olympic futures.
- Young hockey players at Bigby Ice Cube are setting Olympic goals after Team USA's gold medal win
- According to USA HOCKEY Girls' hockey participation has grown 65% nationally in the past 15 years, with local growth seen in Lansing
- Local coaches with Olympic connections are helping inspire the next generation of female hockey players
For sister-brother duo Remy and Vincent, the goal is clear: one day play in the Olympics themselves.
"Do either of you guys want to play Olympic hockey when you're older?" I asked.
"I'm gonna," Vincent said.
"Yes," Remy added.
The USA women's hockey team has these young athletes talking about the historic win.
WATCH: USA women's ice hockey gold inspires young athletes in East Lansing
"They won the gold medal and it was very exciting,"
Friends Aislynn and Emily are also aiming for futures as Olympians, with dreams of "scoring goals and cheering for their teams."
Their coach Rachel Kram was once in their skates and understands the inspiration these young players are feeling.
"I grew up watching the Olympic women, being from Minnesota. Natalie Darwitz is from my hometown, played at my high school and coached me a lot growing up," Kram said.
Kram's connection to Olympic hockey runs deep - she actually skated against some of this year's gold medalists during her playing career.
"And so it's pretty cool to see girls I've been on the ice with winning gold," Kram said.
More gold medals mean more growth for the game of hockey. According to USA Hockey, girls' hockey participation has risen 65% in the past 15 years.
Coach Heather De Feijter-Rupp says they're seeing that growth locally in Lansing too.
"We've had more girls than we've had before at the sparty, mite and mini mite level, and it is so much fun to watch them develop alongside the boy players and when they realize they can play hockey the same it is just so much fun to watch," De Feijter-Rupp said.
Pretty soon, one of these girls could be the next ice breaker in professional hockey.
When I asked where these young players wants to take hockey when they're older older, they're response was ambitious: "The NHL."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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