When asked what her favorite school subjects and future aspirations, Passolt said, “I love math! Math is fun. I also like English and writing.” On a future career she said, “I want to be a nurse anesthetist.”
Passolt comes from a hockey-playing family. Her dad has five brothers. Of the six Passolt siblings, five played college hockey. Her cousin, Josh, currently plays for the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) and is committed to play hockey at Western Michigan. Yes, hockey runs in Passolt’s family.
About her future on skates at an early age Passolt said, “I was pretty much born into it. My dad tells me I could skate before I could walk.”
Already an accomplished hockey player, Passolt is committed to attend and play NCAA Division I hockey at Bemidji State beginning in the fall of 2017. Last season as a junior, she was named all-state and second team all-metro. She has advanced to the USA Hockey National 15s, 16s and 17s development camps, and this past summer played in the National U18 camp held in Maine.
Lydia Passolt is also Type 1 diabetic. She was diagnosed at age nine. Generally speaking, there are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which a person’s pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate the blood sugar level in the body. It is typically diagnosed in children. Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body produces some insulin, but not enough to effectively regulate blood sugar levels. It is typically developed and diagnosed in adults, although it is being observed more in youth as a result of overweight or obese health conditions.
According to both the American Diabetes Association and the United States Center for Disease Control, just over nine percent of the American population, or between 29-30 million people, have diabetes. Approximately 0.25 percent of Americans younger than the age of 20 – a number between 200,000 to 300,000 youth – have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Neither overly common nor extremely rare, diabetes is a condition that affects many youth. Being able to effectively manage the condition will affect their intentions and abilities to participate in healthy exercise and competitive sports.
The idea to more publically share Passolt’s story came about in the spring of 2016 at Chanhassen’s end-of-season hockey team banquet, according to Chanhassen head coach Jeff Wahl. It was suggested she should tell her story of managing and playing hockey with Type 1 diabetes in order to let others know it can be done.
Passolt’s response was, “Absolutely.”
“Parents have come up to me and asked about it,” she said. “I give them motivation and don’t say anything negative about (diabetes), because it isn’t. It’s a positive. I’ve spoken with youth hockey players about playing with diabetes, too.
“I want kids to know, and maybe even teenagers my age to know, this isn’t something to bring them down. This is a blessing. It will help you through life to get exercise. Being in a sport helps me manage my diabetes, because you’re active on a schedule and aware of your body. I exercise and I overcame (diabetes). It has not stopped me from doing anything.”
Passolt described the benefits she perceives resulting from her diabetic condition. She follows a daily blood sugar monitoring schedule she has developed since childhood. This is incorporated in her routines as an athlete. She believes these routines allow her to participate and do more things as an athlete. She contrasts her level of activity as an athlete to a diabetic who does not stay active, and thus does not know how to manage their own blood sugar levels through routines if they wish to pursue some physical activity.
Passolt’s parents regularly tested her blood sugar level throughout her early childhood. When she was nine years old, her doctor told her that she was diabetic.
Passolt’s response was, “What do I have to do?”
It wasn’t a matter of “if” she would continue in normal childhood sports and activities. Rather, in her nine-year-old mind it was a matter of “how.”
Passolt has used various methods of managing blood sugar levels since her diagnosis. In instances when her blood sugar levels were too high, she first used traditional insulin shots from ages nine through 13. Then she used an insulin pump from ages 13 through 15. She has since returned to using insulin shots to manage high blood sugar levels.
On her choice to return to using insulin shots to regulate high blood sugar levels Passolt explained, “Shots are quicker to regulate blood sugar levels and get back to playing. I don’t like when my blood sugars are off, because it pulls me back from hockey.”
(It should be noted that each person treats diabetes in a manner and routine best for themselves. A doctor’s advice should be sought, and this article is not meant to be medically definitive.)
On the effects of high blood sugar levels Passolt described, “You’re irritable, but you don’t know it is happening.”
In contrast on the symptoms experienced with low blood sugar levels she said, “You can black out (in your memory), you don’t remember what you say or do and you get weak and shaky. It’s almost like my body is shutting down. I just know from being weak in my knees.”
On any given day, Passolt will test her blood sugars before any meal, and tests her blood sugar levels approximately 10 times in a day. Her game-day routine for monitoring her blood sugar level is now well-developed.
“I will test my blood sugar two hours before a game,” Passolt said. “Depending on if it’s high or low, I will eat or drink something. When I get to the rink about an hour before the game, I will test my blood sugar levels again. After warm-ups, after each period, and about two hours after a game, I will test my blood sugars levels, too.”
At any one of the blood sugar checkpoints throughout a day, Passolt will either eat or drink something if her blood sugars are too low, or take an insulin shot if her blood sugar levels are too high. According to Passolt, there are two types of insulin she uses when needed to control high blood sugar levels. There is quick-reacting insulin (Novolog) she utilizes during the day, and a slower-reacting insulin (Lantus) she takes at the nighttime and early in the morning.
If her blood sugar levels are low while with her team, Passolt described, “My teammates will for sure help me out. They’ll say, ‘What do you need?’ They’ll get me juice boxes or snacks.”
“We always have a little lunch box on the bench,” Wahl said.
Most of the time, Passolt said her diabetes is well-managed and her blood sugar levels well-moderated.
“That’s why I test (my blood sugar levels) so much,” Passolt said. “I try to stay away from high blood sugar levels. It’s harder to bring the blood sugar level back down. If I’m low, I just eat something. This past weekend I ate a couple of Snickers before the games. It’s a rare occurrence that I have to adjust blood sugars. I might miss a couple of shifts at the start or end of a period.”
“She’s super competitive, she’s maturing and it doesn’t affect her so much now,” Wahl said.
Wahl also emphasized he has learned coaches must be keenly aware of when diabetes is affecting the play of a diabetic, versus when the normal play and emotions experienced in a game are affecting a player.
When asked to describe herself as a hockey player, Passolt said, “I’m very determined and very competitive. My shot. I think I have a great shot and I practice as much as I can in the garage. I practice a lot. I think practice helps me a ton with my shot. (And) speed, and I can find people in a cluster.”
Coach Wahl described the strengths of Passolt’s game: “Because she shoots so well, and works so hard on her shot, more and more girls are working on their shots. The want her shot, too. She has a super quick release, and a heavy one-timer off drop passes. Her speed. And she’s a great passer. She will make lots of plays to back-door players open. She’s a great recruit. She has the speed, the shot and the playmaking.”
Chanhassen’s 2015-16 record was 18-7-2. They were tied through to periods before losing in the section semifinals to eventual state champion Eden Prairie.
Said Passolt, “It was a chemistry team. All of our lines had chemistry.”
“Last year, we tied and beat Minnetonka in two games played. We’re an up-and-coming program,” Wahl said.
In 2015-16, Passolt played on what Wahl called their “Red Line” because of their red practice jerseys worn daily in practice. The line consisted of graduates from last year, including Sofia Poinar (now playing hockey at Minnesota State) and Molly Wise (now playing hockey at St. Ben’s). These three played together as a line for three years through the 2015-16 season. According to Wahl, they recorded approximately 400 points while playing together. Passolt recorded 40 goals and 30 assists for 70 points in 27 games.
Wahl described team building and new team dynamics for the 2016-17 Chanhassen season, led by a strong class of 11 seniors. Passolt is playing on a line with two fellow seniors, and she is very excited about their new line chemistry for 2016-17. She has known both Maddy Fiedler and Julia Bock since they were young players, and she is very excited to be playing with these linemates on their all senior line.
“We have lots of speed with (Passolt’s) line,” Wahl said. “They are very fast, quick players. They move the puck well and know how to work together well.”
Ultimately, on Passolt playing hockey with diabetes, Wahl said, “You can play at a high level and reach your dreams. She looks at it as a blessing.”
“Sports help your diabetes,” said Passolt. “Being an athlete helps your diabetes. When you’re an athlete, you can regulate your blood sugar levels,” Passolt explained of the healthy effects of extensive knowledge gained from a routine and process of testing her blood sugars throughout the day. “Exercise is a good key thing to have when you’re a diabetic. It makes you a healthy diabetic.”
Lydia Passolt is an athlete year-round. She provides leadership by example, and is a role model within her programs. She focuses on tennis from August to October. Hockey is now her chosen primary sport and has become a year-round pursuit with her high school, USA Hockey and other developmental opportunities.
In her mind – the only opinion that matters – her life with academics, hockey, tennis and diabetes is normal. She’s one of the best high school hockey players in the state, and a future Division I player.
Said Passolt, “Yes, it’s normal for me.”
During a 22-year coaching career, John Hamre has coached PeeWee, Bantam, high school, NCAA Division I, Junior A and minor professional hockey. He was most recently the Director of Hockey Operations for the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team. Hamre was the video coach for the 1994 USA Men’s Olympic Team, coached within the USA Hockey NTDP, and at many USA Hockey festivals. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
