In Dare to Make History, published by Radius Book Group in February 2021, twin sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando chronicle their path to a 2018 Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey. It’s a powerful story of athletic perseverance, teamwork, and hard-earned victory—and so much more. The book also details the twins’ battle for gender equity in a male-dominated sport and society. The authors provide a behind-the-scenes look at how their demands for more equitable treatment from USA Hockey (USAH) and society—and their refusal to accept anything less than equitable treatment—changed the game forever and are changing society as well.
What was the most challenging aspect of telling your story? What has been the most rewarding?
J: Deciding which stories to keep in and add more detail to and which ones to take out. When you start writing almost 250 pages, it seems like a lot, but when you are trying to fit in a lifetime of stories and lessons, those pages add up pretty quickly. The most rewarding part of telling our story is hearing positive feedback from readers who have been inspired to do more in their own lives. We believe that our book is not just for hockey players, and it’s not just for girls or athletes. It’s for everyone.
M: I saw this process as having three big challenges. The first challenge was just getting started and developing a structural framework for the story. The second challenge was determining how to use both of our voices interchangeably in the book. Once we got into a rhythm, it was pretty seamless from there. The final challenge was trimming and editing the content. Our editors were extremely helpful in determining which parts of our story were the most important for readers to hear.
The most rewarding part so far has been receiving our advanced reader hard copies in the mail. Going from having no idea where to start to having a physical copy of a book that you poured your heart and soul into has been extremely satisfying!
Can you talk about the empowering story the book tells and how it will resonate with readers—even those who may be unfamiliar with hockey?
J: The book goes into detail about the negotiations our team went through prior to the 2017 world championships, our threatened boycott unless we made substantial progress in moving the sport toward more equitable treatment of women, and the historic contract our team signed. Learning about how our team got to that point and what it took to accomplish what we did resonates with people in all walks of life, and hopefully will inspire people to stand up for what is right and to fight for leveling the playing field where inequities exist.
M: Our team was willing to forfeit representing our country at the 2017 World Championships and potentially jeopardize our chances of making the 2018 Olympic roster in order to improve the landscape for future female hockey players. We weren’t asking for the moon and the stars; we were just asking for a level playing field and more equitable treatment and support, and that resonates not just with women but with anyone who has ever felt marginalized.
In what ways have you continued to use your platform to advocate for gender equity in sports, in the workplace, and in our communities?
J: We started the Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux Foundation in 2019 to give back to underprivileged youth in North Dakota, and that has been very rewarding. Every child deserves a chance to reach their full potential, and having basic needs met is the first step in helping provide that opportunity. We are also a part of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, and I’m on the board. Our mission is to create one viable women’s professional league in North America, and we believe that if we are able to accomplish this, it will take women’s hockey to the next level of popularity in North America and create significantly more opportunities for young girls all over the world.
M: Our work with Comcast’s Internet Essentials program has inspired us to give back to our community and the state of North Dakota. Our mission through our foundation is to “cheer for the one behind.” This became our rallying cry because, when we were growing up and had to compete against each other in certain sports, our mom was faced with the dilemma of which twin to cheer for. Her answer was easy and matter-of-fact: “I’m going to cheer for the one behind,” she said. If we can help inspire and “cheer for the ones behind,” we believe we are using our platform to help make a difference.
For more information go to https://www.lamoureuxtwins.com/book.
