A Lifelong Love Becomes a New Mission
LAFAYETTE, La. — For Taylor Gage, hockey has never been just a sport. It is a connection to her late father, a childhood memory and now a growing mission to create opportunities for women to experience the game in South Louisiana.
Gage said her love for hockey began with her father, who was from Michigan. Some of her earliest memories involve playing stick and puck with him while waiting for the school bus.
“I’ve been carrying this dream and love of hockey from him,” Gage said.
Years later, that childhood connection brought her back to the ice. After working at Planet Ice in Lafayette earlier in life, Gage eventually returned as a player. A friend recognized her ability to skate and encouraged her to try hockey.
What started as an opportunity to play became a calling to help others discover the sport.
Seeing an Opportunity on the Ice
After regularly playing hockey, Gage noticed something missing: women.
“I’m looking around the ice, and there’s very few women,” she said.
Rather than accepting the situation, Gage decided to create an opportunity.
“If the table is not big enough, we need to build a bigger table,” she said.
That philosophy led to the creation of the Bayou Women’s Hockey Association, an organization designed to bring more women onto the ice regardless of their experience level.
Her approach reflects the biblical principle found in Romans 12:4-5, which describes people as members of one body with different gifts and purposes. Healthy communities make room for people to participate, contribute and grow.
A Dream Quickly Gains Momentum
Gage announced the Bayou Women’s Hockey Association on social media April 2. After initially posting and deleting the announcement, she reposted it the following day.
The response was immediate.
“It blew up more than I could ever dream,” Gage said.
Social media and flyers helped spread the word, eventually reaching women who had never imagined themselves playing hockey.
Among them was April Bridges, who now serves as the organization’s vice president.
Bridges discovered the organization through a QR code posted at the rink. Her husband played for the veterans hockey team, and seeing the opportunity encouraged her to consider stepping onto the ice herself.
Courage Begins With the First Step
For Bridges, beginning a new sport in her thirties came with plenty of uncertainty.
“Obviously anxiety. Starting a new sport in your thirties, it’s a task,” she said.
She worried about falling, getting hurt and whether she belonged on the ice.
Then she discovered something important: everyone falls.
The encouragement she received from the other women helped replace uncertainty with confidence.
“When I got out there, just the encouragement from all the girls was like you know what, I probably can do this,” Bridges said.
Her experience reflects the encouragement found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, which reminds us that people are stronger when they stand together and help one another back up.
More Than Hockey
For Gage, the greatest accomplishment is not simply teaching women how to skate, pass or score.
It is watching them discover confidence.
She has seen women arrive without knowing how to skate, sometimes putting on hockey equipment for the first time while still wearing jeans underneath. Over time, those same women have scored goals while teammates and spectators celebrate around them.
“It is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Gage said.
The BWHA has become more than a hockey team. It is becoming a community where women encourage one another, overcome fears and discover abilities they may not have known they possessed.
Philippians 4:13 reminds believers that strength comes through Christ, while 1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls Christians to encourage and build one another up.
Making Room for More
Gage encourages women of every skill level to consider giving hockey a chance.
“You don’t have to know anything about hockey,” her message suggests. Come to the rink, put on some skates and learn.
Her invitation is simple because the organization’s mission is simple: make room.
The Bayou Women’s Hockey Association demonstrates how one person’s passion can become an opportunity for an entire community. What began with a daughter remembering hockey with her father has grown into a movement helping women find courage, friendship and confidence on the ice.
Sometimes building a bigger table begins with one person deciding there is room for someone else.
A Prayer for the Women and Community
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gifts, passions and dreams You place within people. We thank You for Taylor Gage and everyone involved with the Bayou Women’s Hockey Association.
Bless the women who are stepping onto the ice for the first time. Give them courage when they are afraid, perseverance when they fall and confidence to keep learning.
Strengthen the friendships being formed through this community. Help every woman know that she has value, purpose and a place where she can grow.
We also pray for those carrying memories of loved ones who have passed away. Thank You for the memories that continue to inspire us and for the ways a legacy can influence future generations.
May this hockey community continue to encourage women, welcome newcomers and demonstrate the power of people lifting one another up.
As Hebrews 10:24 reminds us, may we continually consider how to encourage one another toward love and good works.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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