White, Kaylee (Reitsma)

BORN APRIL 26TH 1982, the daughter of Anna and Peter, she is an inline hockey player who transitioned to ice in the late-90s when she was 15, without ever playing junior ice hockey. She tried the sport enticed by Miri Hamilton-Yates, who she idolised as a youngster, and others who played both inline and ice hockey. Mark Stephenson developed the 167 cm (5’6”), 68 kg defender during her formative years with the Warringah Bombers, then Kathy Berg, the Australian national women’s team coach.

She often represented her State in the women's nationals and won her first McKowen Trophy in 1998 with all states participating. By 2013, she was captain of the North Stars Sirens in the AWIHL, and she continued with the Sydney Sirens in 2014 and '15. When she returned in 2017, she achieved her goal of making the finals with the Club, winning the Championship with a playoffs score of 1 goal 2 assists. It was the first time a team from New South Wales had won the AWIHL Championship.

Selected to represent Australia in the qualification tournament in Hungary in 2000, she helped her country win the right to compete in the Worlds for the first time in 2001. "So many years ago, when we were preparing for our first qualifier and defining what kind of a NT Program we wanted," recalls Coach Berg, proud of the person White has become, "I needed a few players to step up and help. You did. A natural leader and a very passionate player. You represented your country with class and character. You continued to grow into many roles."

She won gold and promotion to Division 2 in 2003, a career highlight along with the award for Best Defense. Now a veteran of 7 Women's World Championships (2000, 01, 02, 03, 04, 08, 11), she did not play between 2005 and '07, but she returned to captain Australia in 2008 and 2011. At home in Australia in 2011, she helped the national team to the silver medal in a heartbreaking shootout loss to the Netherlands.

A coach at the IIHF 2012 Development Camp held in Finland, she assisted at the IIHF 2012 come-and-try day for girls at Liverpool and was coach of the Penrith women’s team in 2013. She married a former coach, Peter White, and together they managed to successfully combine her sport with raising a young family. "She is hands down one of the most supportive team mates and humble humans you will ever come across," wrote Tarn Alyce in 2017. "Kaylee is a natural-born leader and her words as my Captain still echo in my ear every time I step on the ice."