After graduation this year, most seniors will enjoy unforgettable summers before heading off to colleges across the country. Senior Cameron Yang will go an alternative route, taking a gap year before undergraduate studies to play hockey in the midwest.
Yang has played hockey for more than ten years. After two disappointing seasons of little offensive success, he decided to become a goalie.
“I started playing hockey when I was seven,” Yang said. “My dad watched it on TV all the time so I wanted to try it. After two seasons with no points, I figured it was time to try something different. I noticed that goalies didn’t skate much so I wanted to be one, but I ended up doing more skating than everyone else.”
Yang is now one of the highest-ranked goalies in the nation. One of his teams, the Affton Americans, even made it to the final round of the national championships.
“Last year, I was one of only 16 goalies in the country selected to try out for Team USA,” Yang said. “Three seasons ago my team took second at the National Championships,.”
Time management is important for Yang’s hockey career as well as his weekly schedule. Yang has planned his gap year so he can jump back in the game because he missed a season last year due to an injury.
“Most NCAA Division I teams require players to play junior hockey for a year or two before entering college,” Yang said. “This way they’re more prepared to play right out of the gate. Right now I don’t have a college commitment as I missed last season, so I want to play juniors so I can be seen again.”
Yang has also picked the best league to play, the United States Hockey League. Many factors determine the success of a league, including coaches, fan base and size.
“At the youth level, the Midwest just has more kids who play hockey, creating a larger pool of players from which choose,” Yang said. “They also tend to have the best coaches. The top junior league in the US is the United States Hockey League and it’s based in the idwest because it can draw a larger fan base.”
Despite his illustrious achievements, last year, Yang sustained a hip injury that required four months of downtime. This season, he suffered the same injury again.
“I’ve torn the labrums (rings of cartilage in the hip sockets that prevent the femur from slipping out of place) in both of my hips,” Yang said. “The first injury came during practice at Team USA tryouts, and the second came during a summer league game. Both were sudden, freak accidents. To fix them required surgery, and luckily the best surgeon in the country regarding these injuries is here in St. Louis. After each surgery I had to be on crutches. Four months of recovery are required before I can play hockey again.”
Recently, Yang hasn’t spent an excessive amount of time on hockey because of his injury and recovery from surgery, but his usual schedule is strenuous.
“Currently, hockey doesn’t take up much of my time because I’m injured,” Yang said. “When I am playing it’s tough to balance it all, but it just takes careful time management. After school, I go home and do homework. Sometimes I have therapy or practice, depending on if I’m healthy. Practices are usually around 9 p.m., so I have to make sure I get my work done before practice.”
Yang also excels academically. He has received many awards during his years at Ladue and hopes to attend a prestigious university.
“Cameron is a diligent and serious student who always prepares his work carefully and comes to class ready to interpret and discuss the material. He has a sense of what he wants to do, where he wants to go and a clear understanding of how to achieve his goals,” Latin teacher Ann Rittenbaum said.
Hockey has shaped Yang’s life beyond athletic ability and discipline. He has met friends, learned from the game, and even gotten jobs through hockey.
“Hockey has allowed me to meet people and see places I would probably never have encountered. I’ve been to Europe and have gotten to play with some of the world’s best hockey players. Throughout my hockey career I’ve made a lot of friends, and it’s pretty exciting when you get to hear their names called at the NHL Draft. More importantly, the game has taught me a lot of valuable life lessons,” Yang said. “I’ve learned to take care of myself, how to deal with criticism, and how to bounce back after things don’t go your way.”
When Yang isn’t studying or on the ice, he works at hockey-related companies. He’s an instructor goalie academy where he also receives personal training.
“I’ve been a student of the Racine Goalie Academy for six years and an instructor for four. Bruce Racine, the head of the goalie school, is my personal goalie coach. One of my fellow instructors recommended that I apply to Total Hockey as a goalie specialist, so I did,” Yang said.
Yang hasn’t decided what he will do after college. Playing professionally in the National Hockey League is still an option.
“I’d love to play in the NHL, but college hockey and getting my education is much more important. I’ll try out for the NHL after college, and if I make it, that’d be great,” Yang said.
