Put this girl on ice - Short Stuff - Delaware Ducks Midget Christie Urban

Girls' Life, Feb-March, 2003 by Melissa Walker

When 17-year-old Christie Urban ill was a baby, her first word was WE "Zezel." That's Peter Zezel, former Philadelphia Flyers hockey player. Now, Christie is on the Delaware Ducks Midget Team on a boys league with full body contact. Christie says, "I love playing with guys!" Her skills come from her dad, who was killed just before Christie turned 3, but she never lost her passion for her father's fave sport.

When her mom took her to a Stanley Cup game four years ago, Christie knew she was ready to play: "I saw Wayne Gretzky, and that was it." The guys on her team gave her a hard time until she showed them she could skate. "You have to earn their respect--then they're your best friends," says Christie, who helps coach a power skating clinic for kids. There's only one little girl in the clinic this year but, Christie says, "I make sure the boys treat her just like one of them."