From football player to awesome hockey skater, Jackson Heaton is a formidable athlete. He has been playing football for many years, including the time he has spent on Sunlake’s very own team. Recently, Jackson has taken up a new sports endeavor: mastering ice hockey. Although he grew up playing football, Jackson had this to say about experimenting with the new sport, “I love football, but all my close friends play hockey. I’m excited to go out and join them.”

Jackson has been training his skating and stick-handling skills for the better part of two months, and he has made tons of progress! On March 24th, towards the beginning of his hockey journey, Jackson stated “I need to work on skating a lot,” but now, Jackson says, “I can go backwards and forwards consistently, and I am very close to figuring out how to stop. My stride feels much more natural.”

Jackson’s plan is to be able to play hockey in the area during the local rink’s summer league, stating, “My end goal is to become a good hockey player.”

Of course, even though Jackson is experimenting with a new sport, he will always love football. “I love football because it’s a fun game that I can compete against others in.” Jackson plans to continue to play football next school year, saying “Next year is going to be my senior year, and with hockey and football being at the same time, I am going to spend my senior year playing football and then play in some adult leagues for hockey once the football season is all over with.”

All in all, Jackson is an athlete who is open to all sports, and he is excited to start playing hockey alongside football. He looks forward to summer, when he can expand his hockey journey.