Diane Pieknik

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Diane Pieknik was forced into retirement after losing her job when the economy tanked. So what did she do? At 61 years old, she suited up and started playing ice hockey with 20 year olds. 

Diane says she always wanted to play hockey but kept putting it on hold as she worked and raised her family. 

She explains how there were some rough spots at first, including not knowing how to skate, then falling on the ice and cracking her head and getting a huge bruise across her face. 

Diane describes what her family, particularly her son who was serving in Afghanistan, think about her new passion and why she’s always up for a new challenge, including trampoline dodgeball. 

“I was one of the Baby Boomers who burned a bra, so why shouldn’t this be any different? I come from a whole bunch of people who said, ‘Hey, we don’t like what’s going on so let’s do something else,’” Diane says. 

She also has a message for people suffering from aches and pains who are afraid to stay active. She says she suffers from arthritis but she’d hurt if she sat around, so she might as well get out there and have fun.