No matter where in the world Sophia Simpson may be, she always has her support system with her as she travels.
The Paul VI High School rising senior recently returned from representing the United States in the U20 Women’s World Junior Ball Hockey Championships in Poprad, Slovakia. She learned the sport from her father, Jeff, and she was taught to never give up by her mother, Nicole.
Sophia carries that reminder in Roman numerals across her forearm. It’s a tattoo of the date that her mother beat breast cancer: Nov. 12, 2012.
“She’s my biggest supporter,” Simpson said of her mom. “She had cancer when I was in preschool. She couldn’t lift me or watch me when I started playing hockey. That was upsetting for her. But she overcame it. So now, every chance she gets, even if it’s just a practice, she’s out there watching me. I love it.”
It was a long journey to Central Europe, and not just the 4,300 miles in the air. Simpson started playing ball hockey at age 4 by following the footsteps of her dad, who was a Gloucester Catholic High School graduate. He introduced Sophia to the local ball hockey rinks in their hometown of Bellmawr and even helped her construct her own shooting facilities at their home. The duo installed clickable skate tiles in the backyard and a deck hockey surface in front of their property. Her father constructed a net that caught most – but not all – of the practice shots fired in its general direction.
“I definitely broke the whole fence, and my dad had to get a new one,” Simpson said with a laugh. “But … to be able to go outside and shoot – it’s therapeutic. Hitting bar-down always makes me feel better.”
Although she earned the favorable reputation of a rink rat for constantly wearing down the blades of her hockey sticks, Simpson still found her share of setbacks on her journey. On her first attempt at trying out for Team New Jersey Future Stars at age 12, she was cut.
“That became my motivation because ball hockey is my sport,” she said. “I told myself I needed to try harder. I thought I was good, but there’s always people better than me.”
Simpson was a student at Saint Teresa Regional School in Runnemede at the time and decided to broaden her training by joining a few other teams at school such as track and cross country.
“Eventually all the hard work paid off,” she said.
Simpson tried out again the following year and made the team. She also made USA’s U-20 team as an alternate as a 14-year-old in 2023 and traveled to the World Championships in the Czech Republic. She ended up having her number called to play in the tournament, albeit out of position.
“I made the team as an alternate but ended up playing as a defenseman,” Simpson said. “Once we got going, I was playing on the top forward line and was the first shooter in the bronze medal game, which was decided in the shootout.”
Although her team lost in the shootout, it created even more motivation. The World Championships are held every other year, and Simpson made the team again, which led her to Slovakia this summer as a 16-year-old. The USA lost another close contest in the bronze medal game, but the team had a wonderful experience overseas.
“It definitely felt a lot better this time,” Simpson said. “Our team is a lot closer in age. We tried our best and put down everything we had. Playing for the person next to you makes it so worth it.”
Playing for her country is an honor Simpson doesn’t take lightly, either.
“It’s a blessing,” she said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I always thought it was going to be ice hockey, but once I found out I could do it through ball hockey, I was amazed. It was for the 4-year-old that never thought she could do it. I’m still like, ‘Wow.’ It’s everything I’ve worked for and dreamed of.”
With both parents in her corner, the journey was a little more comforting.
“My mom is the emotional supporter, and my dad is the motivator,” Simpson said. “It works great with both of them.”
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