Medford's Gina D'Amaro Goes For Women's Street Hockey Gold

Gina D’Amaro, 38, was born an athlete. From her childhood playing countless sports with her brothers until the sun went down to her four years as a varsity softball centerfielder for Centereach High School and all-American season at Suffolk County Community College, D’Amaro has competed.

After high school D’Amaro took up a new sport – street hockey. Long Island is a growing hotbed for National Hockey League players, and street hockey is no different among younger athletes.

D’Amaro has taken her love for the sport of street hockey and turned it into international success. Hailing from Medford, D’Amaro was the captain of the 2009 U.S. Women’s National Street hockey team and has once again been named to the roster in 2011. The team will compete for the world championship in Slovakia starting June 19.

D’Amaro was 17 when she began playing street hockey, a sport that has gained traction around the world since the 1960s and 1970s in Canada and the United States. There were a few rinks around Long Island, including in Coram, Centereach and Middle Island, and Gina was invited to participate in a four team women’s league.

After there were enough women to support eight teams in the league, tournaments began to pop up around the northeastern United States. D’Amaro said she has traveled to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts to compete.

Her beginning days with the sport weren’t as successful as today. Before representing her country on the biggest stage she often stood on the sidelines watching the boys play on Long Island.

“In my first game my skills were not great, but I could run fast and keep the ball on my stick and in that league at the time that was good thing,” she said. “This is a running sport and some of the players didn't or couldn't run.”

She said that as she watched the men play she began to learn the nuances of the game – and her skills picked up as well. As the game itself grew and began to be played on the international level D’Amaro developed into one of the top women’s players in the country.

Her international experience began in the 2005 ISHBF World Cup of Ball Hockey. Since then she has regularly competed in events around the world. In 2007 she was a member of the first U.S. team to win the World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships.

Throughout her years of competition she says one thing stands out above all else.

“I will always remember after each game at the world championships when they play the national anthem for the winning team,” she said. “That is what this is about. Winning the game to hear your national anthem played brings chills to anyone’s spine. That is the highest honor.”

On June 19, D’Amaro will have another chance to add to her memory bank and trophy case as she once again goes for gold.