LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In just a few short days, a Louisville teen will compete for USA Hockey on the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team.


What You Need To Know

  • Chyna Taylor of Louisville is preparing to compete for Team USA on the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team in Finland 

  • The sophomore, who began playing hockey at a young age, studies in Boston 
  • She will travel to Finland at the start of the new year 
  • The 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship is set for Jan. 4-12 

Louisville native Chyna Taylor, who studies in Boston, will travel to Finland to compete at the start of the year. 

Days before she travels internationally for the first time in her life, Taylor is hitting the ice to practice.

"Nervous, excited; it's a lot of emotions going through my head," Taylor said.

The 15-year-old began ice skating at a young age.

"Looking back, I would have never thought that I would be going to Finland and all of this," Taylor said.

She started playing ice hockey around the age of 5 and would soon fall in love with the sport.  

"I skate, like, two times a day, for all week and then games and all that," Taylor said.

Her hours of practice have paid off, as she'll join 24 other players from the U.S. to compete in Finland, all while balancing her classwork. 

"Time management is really big ... making sure that when I'm at the rink, I'm focused on hockey, and then in school, I'm focused on getting my work done and in class," Taylor said.

Sarah Hoover, her Louisville-based coach, said she's thrilled to see her progress and achievement. 

"Oh, it's amazing," Hoover said. "It's amazing for our program, and we're just so proud of her. "Oh, it's amazing," Hoover said. "It's amazing for our program, and we're just so proud of her. She's such a dedicated skater and a person, so we're just ecstatically proud of her ... she grew up here in Louisville and came out of our program (as) a little girl. So we always thought she'd do some big things, and here she is doing them." 

Taylor has some young fans, including her sister

"I think it's really cool and sweet that she looks up to me and wants to play hockey like me," Taylor said.

The 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women’s World Championship will take place Jan. 4-12 in Finland.