 |
| Jordan Kulbida is a solid two-way forward with the Cougars. |
These days, Kulbida is a 21-year-old solid two-way forward
with the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks and ace pitcher with
the Saskatoon G Force senior women’s softball team. She can also hit and field
well on the diamond too.
Back when she was about 12-years-old, Kulbida was playing
softball, but she hadn’t taken up hockey. Her friend, Nara Elia, was playing
the sport, and Kulbida wanted to try it out.
With that noted, Elia was really good and Sophie Shirley was
among the talented group of players that were on the ice. Elia would go on to
play for Canada’s under-18 women’s team and currently is a standout with the
Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida is an ace pitcher with the G Force. |
“Since I did start so late in my life, I was so nervous,
because all these girls were so good,” said Kulbida, who has played three full
seasons with the Cougars. “They had been to all these camps and like skating
stuff, and I had never done any of that.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’ All the
girls were so nice, and they were so welcoming. All those girls that I grew up
with like Nara and all of them, some of them I played with them.
“For the most part, I played against lots of those girls.
They pushed me, and they helped me become better. They were all very
supportive, and it was awesome.”
 |
| Jordan Kulbida in action with the Cougars in 2017. |
During her second and final campaign with the Sharks in
2016-17, Kulbida was named team captain, and she piled up 17 goals and five
assists appearing all of the team’s 28 regular season games.
While she got into hockey, Kulbida kept going with softball
playing with the Saskatoon Selects program through to the summer of 2018.
In 2017, Kulbida cracked the roster for Saskatchewan’s
women’s softball team that played at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. Saskatchewan
came away with a fourth place finish at that event.
Kulbida believes softball will always be part of her life.
“Honestly, I just loved like the atmosphere,” said Kulbida.
“I was always with like the same group of girls, because it was like zone ball,
when we were younger.
“I became like really close with like all those girls. We
were such good friends, and we had like such good parents and such good
coaching. It was so awesome.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida plays in the outfield for the G Force. |
Due to playing in the Canada Summer Games and making
nationals with the Selects, Kulbida was approached by post-secondary schools in
the United States about playing softball.
While those opportunities were there, Kulbida’s desire to
play university hockey during her Grade 12 year increased. Even with the fact
the goals were going into the net during her final year with the Sharks,
Kulbida had her doubts if the opportunity to play university hockey would
present itself.
That all changed when she met Cougars head coach Sarah
Hodges.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to be good enough,” said Kulbida.
“When Sarah (Hodges) came and talked to me at the (Athol Murray College of) Notre
Dame camp (in Wilcox, Sask.), she was like, ‘I see some really good potential
in you.’
 |
| Jordan Kulbida started playing hockey at around age 12. |
“It has been a huge eye-opener for sure. It has been super
fun.”
In 81 career regular season games with the Cougars, Kulbida
has recorded 14 goals and 14 assists. Last season, she netted career high seven
goals and tied her career high in points at 10 in 26 regular season games.
By joining the Cougars, Kulbida was able to continue her
duel sports life. She played for both the Selects and G Force in the summer of
2018 and with the G Force in the summer of 2019 and this past summer.
Kulbida said her continuing efforts in softball have been
supported by Hodges.
Hodges was a multisport athlete herself playing for the
Dartmouth College Big Green women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks from 1992 to
1996 as a star utility player piling up 146 points while also being a member of
the school’s track and field team as a javelin thrower. On top of those sports,
Hodges also played competitive rugby.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida has played softball for most of her life. |
“Her daughters are getting into softball too, and she always
like asks me for advice or how to help them. I am able to help her in that way,
so that is really awesome to be able to give back to the community like that.
She is super supportive of it.
“She loves it that I am a double sport athlete.”
Kulbida has found that she has been a good fit with the G
Force. She adds it has been fun being one of the younger athletes on the teams,
as a lot of her teammates are about two years older than her.
Kulbida has been impressed with talents her teammates bring
to the game. Growing up when she wasn’t pitching, Kulbida would usually play
shortstop.
With the G Force, they have a spectacular shortstop in
Brielle McCullough, and Kulbida said it is amazing to see the plays McCullough
makes. Kulbida is pumped to be part of the G Force team.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida has played three full seasons with the Cougars. |
“Those girls have mostly been together since they were
little, (and) they’ve been so welcoming and so kind to me. It has been so fun. I
love all the girls, and I love hanging out with them.
“Going to a game is like the most exciting thing ever,
because we are there, we are having fun and we are also winning, so that is
good. The coaching staff like Dave (McCullough) and Tony (Rupps) and Cory
(Volk) are all awesome. I really enjoy it.”
While she was able to play softball this past summer,
Kulbida is keeping her fingers crossed she will get to play meaningful games
with the Cougars for the 2020-21 season. U Sports has cancelled all its fall
national championships due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida expects to play for the G Force well into the future. |
Kulbida is enrolled in kinesiology and health studies at the
University of Regina and like all students is doing her courses online. She is
still living in Saskatoon at the moment and continuing to work at her summer
job.
She said the Cougars have set a date of Oct. 5 to have all
their players return to Regina, but the team has been flexible and
understanding about everyone’s real life living situations.
Whenever she can get back on the ice, Kulbida is looking forward to continuing her career with the Cougars.
She would like to have a
chance to continue to play hockey for a campaign or two after her university
career wraps up to in order keep playing hockey, while continuing to play for
the G Force.
Whenever she can get back on the ice, Kulbida is looking forward to continuing her career with the Cougars.
 |
| Jordan Kulbida hopes to play more hockey after her Cougars days. |
“My first three years (with the Cougars) went by so fast,”
said Kulbida. “I can’t believe that I am going into my fourth year already.
“I look back and everything, and I am like, ‘Wow. That is
crazy and all the good memories and everything.’ I’ve looked at maybe going to
play hockey in Europe after I am done at the University of Regina.
“Hopefully, I will get a cool opportunity to go play there
(in Europe) for a year, because that would be awesome. We will see.”
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
-------
