Home for most people is four walls with a roof over their head, but for junior Kenleigh Fischer it’s a sheet of ice. Fischer is a well-known hockey player at Fargo North, often receiving praise for her incredible achievements and undeniable talent. She is a part of two very successful teams, the Fargo North South Spruins, and the USA Under-18 Women’s Nationals team. Fischer has also recently announced her commitment to University St. Thomas to continue her hockey career in college.
The love for hockey has always been in Fischer’s blood, her journey starting as early as she can remember. Her dad played hockey in high school for Grafton Park River, and her brother Brody Fischer has been playing since he was a kid. It was a given, then, that she was going to be on the ice as early as she could walk: “At around four I watched my brother play a lot and started skating as early as I could, and eventually started competing at around the age of five,” said Fischer, and she started playing up an age group at around nine years old.
A head start isn’t all she has going for her, though; Fischer works hard to stay polished. “I’m on the ice three to four days a week, working out, speed training, it’s a year round thing.”
A major worry of many student athletes is getting ‘burnt out,’ but when prompted about this Fischer didn’t share that sentiment, saying “I’ve gone time periods without [hockey], and everytime I want to get back to it; I want to be with my friends, I want to to be in that environment, even after a rough game the first thing I want to do is get back on the ice.”
Fisher doesn’t just want to play hockey to please others around her or to show off either. According to her mother Kristen Fisher, “She doesn’t do what she does because we tell her to, she does what she does because she wants to.” The self-driven aspect of Fischer’s ethic is a key to not getting burnt out like other athletes.
Fischer’s love for hockey has been a huge part of her success in the sport. The perseverance she has is not commonly seen among other student athletes, whether it’s because of outside pressure or internal conflicts with teams. Fischer has been lucky to be surrounded by such a supportive environment.
Fischer’s family has been incredibly supportive of her hockey career from day one. She claims her mother to be her biggest cheerleader and always wanting the best for her. She travelled to Finland with her daughter for a recent tournament, saying about the experience that “It was wonderful to watch her do what she loves on the ice.”
Along with her parents, Fischer’s extended family have been very encouraging of her hockey career. “At every family reunion it’s always ‘how’s hockey going we love watching you,” the younger Fischer said. This unlimited support around her is one of the most beneficial factors of Fischer’s success in hockey.
Fischer has also been put among amazing teams of girls throughout her years of playing. For the past three years, she has been a part of the Fargo North South Spruins hockey team. Her teammate junior Jada Purdy said of Fischer’s impact on the team that “She always pushes her teammates to be the best that they can be. She brings her best everyday and it only motivates us to work harder.”
The Spruins have been the state champions for three years in a row, and regarding a fourth, Fischer said that the team is “[…] taking it game by game. In the end that is the goal, but we can only focus on each game on its own.” Fischer agrees with the idea that it feels like there is a target on their backs, but said that their coach, Parker Metz “Tells us to embrace it; other coaches tell us to not play so hard, but we’re not going to back off.” The latter half of that quote alludes to their game against Devils Lake, when they scored 18 points. The Spruins are seen sometimes to be an unmatched team but they understand that does not mean they should play down to their opponents level.
Fischer not only plays for the Spruins, but also for Team USA’s Under-18 Women’s National Hockey team. The process to getting on the team started with a high performance camp in North Dakota, from there Fischer got invited to the next camp with all the northern state districts, and then she got selected to go to a national camp in August in New York.
At the end of the camp, “They brought us all in to announce the team and I saw my name on the roster, so I got on a bus and went to the Olympic Training Center.” Being on an official USA team was not something that hit Fischer right away, but “I went downstairs for breakfast and I saw Kendell Coyne sitting there, and that’s when I realized oh, this is real.”
Fischer is recently home from Finland where she made her debut as a USA Under-18 Nationals player. The team continued their long history of success; their second place finish is their 17 consecutive medal in international hockey championships. They lost to Canada in the championship round 3-0, finishing 6-1 in Finland.
Fischer plans to continue her hockey career at the University of St. Thomas, a D1 school for Women’s Hockey. She had toured other schools including Duluth and Dartmouth, but “St. Thomas was the school I felt the most comfortable at.” Fischer says that St. Thomas reached out to her the first day that she became available for recruitment, “I had gotten the text and I was very excited.”
Fischer isn’t just a superb hockey player, but also an incredible student and peer. She is an A-average student who takes as many A.P. classes she can get her hands on. She comes in early to Spartan period when she needs the extra help, and it is apparent among her peers the effort she puts in. Her classmate Drew Burris, who has shared classes with Fischer since elementary school, says that “Not only is she super smart, but she is a hard worker both on and off the ice.”
Being a student athlete that is so invested in their sport can be a lot on someone when trying to balance their social life with it. This doesn’t seem to be an issue with Fischer, though; according to her, “I get to the rink as early as I can to get after school to get my mind off of it. I also am able to spend a lot of time with my family. My mom works from home. I can see her during the day and see my dad when I get home from hockey.” Fischer said in summary, “Instead of life being my escape from hockey, hockey is my escape from life.”
What I noticed about Fischer that made her stand out from others, though, was her humility. It is undeniable that she is incredibly gifted athletically and academically, but that isn’t what makes her such a great person. No, that’s her genuine personality and positive outlook that you can’t get enough of. She is kind to all those around her and never lets herself get a big head. If you ever get a chance to sit down and have a conversation with her, you would agree.
