Elizabeth Schreckenberg

In most cases, fathers are protective, often overprotective, of their daughters. But Steve Sitze is different. When his daughter, Jeri, said she wanted to learn to play a physical sport, he agreed, and even trained her to do so. And teammates on Jeri Sitze's hockey team can't thank him enough.

Just like last year, the Bethalto Eagles Varsity team finished first in the Division 1A West Side regular season. And with 13 wins and six shutouts this season, junior goalie Jeri Sitze can take some of the responsibility for leading them there -- pretty impressive for being the only girl on the team.

But being on a boys' team has never fazed Jeri. When she was 10, she told her dad she wanted to play hockey like her older brother, so he started training her. She started on a local boys' hockey team, and enjoyed it so much that she was playing on a traveling all girls' team by the time she was 12. The team played out of Detroit, and traveled around Wisconsin for games. At one point, the St. Louis Blues sponsored a Ladies Team and were recruiting girls from all over the country. Out of 12 goalies who tried out, Jeri and two others were chosen.

But although she didn't mind traveling away from friends when she was in 7th grade, she started to mind as she got older.

"As I got closer to high school, I was a lot more social and I didn't like to be away from home every weekend," she said.

So she started playing back in her hometown for the Bethalto Eagles, and has been with the same teammates for the past three years or so.

"They don't treat me any differently because I'm a girl," she said. "We're like a family. Really bonded."

In other high school sports, she's played with the girls in soccer, softball, volleyball, and tennis. But during hockey season, her girlfriends come to her games to cheer her on.

"They're really supportive," said Jeri. "They know how important hockey is to me."

As for her father, Jeri said it's probably easier for him to feel safe with this sport when you consider the protection she has around her.

"The guys on the team play great defense, and I'm also wearing 50-60 pounds of equipment to keep me from getting hurt."

As this season comes to a close (the Bethalto Eagles had won the first Division 1A Playoff game just as Lipstik went to print), Jeri said she's looking forward to her final season next year before she heads off to college. She hopes she's been a role model for future players, and encourages any other girls considering a non-traditional sport to give it a try.

"Go with what your heart wants to do, and have fun with it."