Antonia Bucatini: Using Her Noodle

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The Antonia Bucatini Biography

 

 

Finding the Ice

 

Antonia Bucatini was never supposed to play hockey. She was from a family noodle making business, you see, specializing in noodles with holes in the center that took after the family name: bucatini. Located in the tourist areas of Rome, Bucatini’s was not only a landmark, but it was a certified business. Her father had grand designs to bring her into the business one day.

 

In the meantime though, the successful noodle business provided the funds for some of her hobbies. There was a karting phase that ended the first time she wrecked. Then, there was an equestrian phase before she realized she hated the smell of horses. Football, choir singing, skiing, they all ended the same.

 

So, when Antonia Bucatini took up ice dancing at the age of 11, her parents thought it would be the same. Buy her a pair of skates, let her go out on a local ice rink for a month or two to get it out of her system, and she’ll be on to the next thing. Her future in the kitchen is what awaits, after all, so better to let her be a child and well rounded now.

 

A funny thing happened when Bucatini took to the ice though: She loved it. Maybe not the dancing part, she would say - she could never understand the judging guidelines and the shiny outfits. That was never Bucatini’s style; she was more of a risk taker. But the ice itself, that seemed to call to her. She could skate quicker than all the other ice dancers, and seemingly stop on a dime. She felt in control, like the skates were a natural extension of herself. One month turned into two, which turned into four then six. Amazingly to her parents, she kept skating.

 

After a while, then-12 year old Bucatini thought she might want to go out for figure skating. The Olympics were in Italy not too long ago in Turino, she thought, and there may be some coaches that would want to train the next big Italian figure skater. Her parents were loathe to let her go, but then again they figured, why not let her through this phase? The noodle making empire will be here. And that’s how she found herself in Turino while still in grade school, trying to make her way in the skating world.

 

The Right Kind of Skates

 

When Bucatini arrived in Turino, she found that she didn’t enjoy actually figure skating. Instead, she found herself drawn to another set of athletes sharing ice time: the ice hockey players. Where figure skating was delicate, ice hockey was brutal. Where figure skating rewarded tight routines, ice hockey rewarded taking risks. Figure skating needed discipline; ice hockey rewarded discipline, yes, but married it with talent and a flair for the dramatic. The only problem was, Bucatini had never played hockey.

 

It took three months in Turino for Bucatini to work up the nerve to ask to step on the ice during the ice hockey practices. It took her an additional couple of months to learn the rules, the paces, the tricks of the trade. Then there was the issue that she was one of the few female players in the camp, in which most of the girls stayed with either figure skating or ice dancing. Slowly but surely, though, Bucatini worked her way through the system. By the time she turned 15, she established herself as one of the best players at the elite Italian camp.

 

Her parents were flabbergasted. Sure, they admired her tenacity, and were proud that their daughter had developed a dedicated spirit towards one of her hobbies. But still, ice hockey? They were in disbelief that ice hockey would lead their daughter anywhere, especially since Italy was not known as a hockey powerhouse. Even if she was the best player in her academy, that might still pale in comparison to the best players in Europe from the Nordic countries or Russia, let alone anywhere in North America.

 

So for the now secondary school-aged Antonia Bucatini, there was a choice to make: See where hockey took her, or head home to Rome and truly establish herself at the family business? To say that it was a no-doubt decision would be a lie; Bucatini loved her family, loved Rome, and would have a perfectly fine life in the family business. But deep down, she knew that if she did not try now, she’d be left with a hole in the middle similar to her family’s noodles. She had to make the jump; the family business can wait.

 

The VHL and Beyond

 

With her family’s blessing, Bucatini left at 16 to make yet another big move - this time changing countries, where she left Italy to move to Sweden and the local youth academy for the VHLE’s Vasteras Iron Eagles. There, she met with VHL-affiliated coaches and scouts, learned what it takes to play high-level hockey, and began training to make hockey her actual profession. After a few months in Vasteras, she realized, yes, she did have what it takes. While she wasn’t the best player immediately, she proved to learn quickly, have a high work ethic, and above all else, have that natural connection with the ice.

 

Now at the age of 18, Antonia Bucatini has made yet another big move: to Philadelphia, the VHLM, and the idea that she will be entered in the VHL Draft in just two years time. Maybe Antonia will flame out; maybe she will go all the way and become the VHL’s next big star. But regardless, both Bucatini and her family are proud of her journey. From a noodle shop in Rome to the brightest VHL stage and beyond, Antonia Bucatini has never been afraid to take risks.

 

Now, she just needs to bring the sauce.