HOCUTT, Tracy

TRACY HOCUTT WAS BORN on 12 October 1974 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States. She attended Lockport Township High School East before enrolling to study Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University in Illinois, where she competed in NCAA Division 1 softball for the Wildcats. From 1993 to 1996, she earned the title of All-time Northwestern Letterwinner each year and was recognised on the All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Region Team in 1994. A casual remark about the excitement of hockey while in California led to an unexpected invitation from an ice rink director, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

After relocating to Australia in 2007, Hocutt developed a website for the Queensland ice hockey association, which ultimately led to the establishment of the first complete XSYTE: IHQ. By next season, Hocutt had developed a passion for ice hockey and started creating hockey league websites in exchange for complimentary ice time. As interest increased, so did her ambitions. XSYTE was officially founded.

Hocutt played for the Queensland Cyclones juniors and the Bombers in the Brisbane United Ice Hockey League alongside Tiffany Venning, Georgia Giblin, and Brittany Parkyn. In 2008, she was selected for the Queensland Team in the Australian Women's ice hockey nationals for the Joan McKowen Trophy. On 7 November 2009, she played in her inaugural AWIHL game for the Brisbane Goannas, became team captain, and on 29 November 2014, she celebrated her 50th game.

The 2-way forward first represented Australia at the 2014 IIHF Div2A World Championships held in Asiago, Italy, scoring 2 goals. The team was coached by Lee Brown and John Botterill. “Tracy was a Major Impact Player on and off the ice!” recalls Coach Botts. “Her total passion and dedication made her the ‘coaches player’! What coach and program needs—Tracy will do!” She returned to the World Championships in 2015 in Jaca, Spain. Her fondest hockey memory is scoring two goals against Poland.

Hocutt has since surpassed the milestones of 250 PIMs and 150 AWIHL games, earning various letters and awards. She served as the captain or alternate of the Brisbane Goannas in 2018 to 2020 and earlier. The Queenslander received the club’s Goanna Award in 2018 and 2025, along with the Best Defence award in 2019. And, of course, she was on a first-name basis with the therapy dog in the Brisbane penalty box, as noted by Gordon Goodenough and Andrew McDougall. She retired fifth highest in AWIHL All-Time Penalty Minutes.

In 2023, Hocutt played defence in the AWIHL Brisbane Lightning, the renamed Goannas. She played for Team Black during the Brisbane Lightning showcase games the following season, continued as Alternate Captain, and then retired at the end of the 2025 season. Tracy Hocutt’s hockey career here spanned almost 20 years, in which time XSYTE has developed into a comprehensive sports management platform used by leagues and tournaments across various sports, including ice hockey, inline hockey, field hockey, soccer, judging events, and more. Sera Doğramaci, the former goalie for the Sydney Sirens, mentioned that XSYTE played a crucial role in helping the team uncover club history that might have otherwise been lost.