WATERLOO – Leah Herrfort will join Canada’s women’s hockey team for a second time at the FISU Winter World University Games later this month for a chance to win another gold medal.
The winter edition of the university games, hosted by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), are held every two years for student athletes aged 18 to 25.
Between Jan. 13 to 23, this year’s FISU event will feature 11 sports in six municipalities in Italy’s Piemonte Region.
Herrfort, 23, is a post-graduate student at the University of Waterloo, who has always had a full schedule when it comes to sports.
She found her passion for hockey at a young age in her hometown of Palmerston and hasn’t stopped since.
“I started figure skating at the age of four, but I obviously didn’t like figure skating very much so I switched to hockey,” Herrfort told the Advertiser.
The forward has been playing with the Waterloo Warriors university hockey team, hoping to land a professional opportunity.
All FISU athletes must be registered as proceeding towards a degree or diploma at a university or similar institute to be eligible for the games, so Herrfort decided to stay for another year with her team.
She was at work when the good news arrived.
“My boyfriend was ecstatic and my family was really happy for me,” she said.
The Warriors also shared a burst of excitement for Herrfort at a recent game.
“I was actually surprised by how loud they were; it was a nice feeling to know that they were happy for me because I’m going to have to miss four (regular season) games,” she explained.
Second time around
At the 2023 FISU games, Herrfort and her Canadian teammates took home the gold medal with a 5-0 win over Japan in Lake Placid, NY.
With a “strong team of players” behind her, Herrfort is feeling “pretty confident” in her abilities and the team’s prospects this time around.
“At this point in my career I’m a little bit better at handling those emotions,” she said.
“I’m not walking into this thinking we have it in the bag by any means … there’s going to be some tough competition.”
She added, “I remember two years ago the feeling of putting on the Team Canada jersey because the jersey is exactly the same as everybody else that’s been on the team.”
She snapped a picture of herself, sharing the proud moment with her family members.
Herrfort is looking forward to experiencing that feeling for a second time.
The FISU tournament offers young athletes the chance to be scouted, which is at the forefront of Herrfort’s mind as she enters her last season with the Waterloo Warriors.
She has a few decisions to make this year regarding her next steps in the world of hockey.
“I’m considering going overseas to play,” she explained. “But that’s all up in the air.”
Her end goal is to land a position in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, but “it’s a tough league to make,” she said.
Leah Herrfort playing for Team Canada at the 2023 FISU Games in Lake Placid, NY. Advertiser file photo
Growing up in sports
Although her schedule is constantly filled with sports, school and work, Herrfort wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I think I’d go crazy if I wasn’t busy,” she said.
Along with hockey, she also used to play for the Palmerston Marlins softball team.
“The nice thing about softball is that it’s pretty much all summer and we don’t really do much in the winter,” giving Herrfort the chance to focus on hockey during the colder months.
Her struggle began when she took on competitive softball, creating additional practices, even in the winter.
“That year was really tough,” she said.
“When I played in Palmerston, it was much easier because I was living there so I could pop downtown for a practice at the high school and then obviously make it to my hockey.”
But making it to practices never seemed like a chore for Herrfort, as “my sports gave me all my friends; I always want to go to practice.”
Marlins head coach Ken Iles has watched Herrfort grow since she was 11 years old playing ball with his daughter.
“She knows when it’s game time; she has that ability to flip that switch and she’s ready to play,” Iles told the Advertiser.
He stepped into the coaching role three years ago, but has been with the Marlins organization since 2013.
“She’s a born leader … she’s not the captain of our team, but she still has that leadership ability in her,” he said.
Iles added Herrfort has also grown to be a great person and said he would “love to have 13 players like her.”
Herrfort is set to hit the ice with her teammates on Jan. 11 against Chinese Taipei in Torino, Italy.
For more information visit the FISU website at wugtorino2025.com.
