Metea Valley senior hockey player Lyndie Lobdell earns gold after making the U18 USA National team and traveling to Slovakia. Watch her journey in this Sports Story Sunday.
How to make Team USA
To make the USA U18 National team is to complete a gauntlet of tryouts. But the destination is part of the reward – a piece of hockey history to marvel at.
Lyndie: From there you get picked to go to Lake Placid, which is top 33 in the country. Then that’s two weeks long. The first week, everyone is trying out and then from there you either get sent home or you stay the rest of the week, train a little more and play Canada. They still make cuts, all the way to the last call.
Metea Valley student and Chicago Mission defenseman Lyndie Lobdell made it through the months long process. Landing her in the spot where the Miracle on Ice was immortalized nearly 40 years ago.
Lyndie: I don’t even know, it was just weird being there and realizing these amazing hockey players that were like idols to me have played here and won gold in the craziest way. It’s just amazing.
Trading in her sweater
That meant trading her green and white for the traditional red, white and blue – a perfect time to stock up on USA gear for the Lobdell family.
David: We spent some time on Amazon buying some red white and blue because we didn’t have a whole lot .But it was neat to celebrate with it and everyone take full advantage of the opportunity.
Growing up playing hockey himself, David Lobdell coached Lyndie and her two sisters, Lexi and Lanie. From a young age, David saw the will to win in Lyndie, which would eventually lead her to team USA.
David: She always wanted to win, she was always the one taking it and going end to end if she had the opportunity to come up with big goals.
Lyndie Lobdell Earns Gold
She did just that in the semi-finals against Russia in Bratislava, Slovakia en route to the championship game.
When the dust settled on the two week trip to Europe, Lobdell and her team were gold medal winners – topping Canada in the title game. Lyndie Lobdell earns gold.
Lyndie: … I mean… it was just pure excitement… it was just screaming and jumping and a big dog pile and we were just screaming and jumping around. It was the best thing in the world. I’ve tried to explain it so many times and I just can’t.
David: You see all of the time and effort that she puts into it. And for that to culminate into making the USA U18 National team was pretty big. My wife, Jackie, and the rest of the family were just ecstatic. There were a lot of hugs and tears.
With the win now in the rear view mirror and graduation from Metea Valley on the horizon, the hockey star will trade in red, white and blue… for just blue and white, heading to Penn State to play collegiately. Yet another cool destination for Lobdell.
Reporting for Sports Story Sunday, I’m Kevin Jackman
