Article Text
A Springfield girls hockey team is rallying around assistant captain Payton Logothey as she battles stage 4 chronic kidney disease and works toward a return to the ice.
Logothey was diagnosed in December 2023 and continued playing through painful treatments during the 2023-2024 season. She recorded 25 points and seven assists across 51 games before the pain became unbearable.
She still intends to return to hockey in whatever capacity her health allows. Her determination has lifted her teammates, who wear green ribbon stickers on their helmets to promote kidney disease awareness. Coaches show their support with green ribbon pins on their jackets.
The team, based at The St. James in Springfield, is coached by Matt Billman. Eleven of this season’s 20 players also competed last year, when the team reached a semifinal match.
Billman said many players advance to college hockey or pursue jobs with NHL organizations.
The team traveled to Notre Dame during the season and is now preparing for the 2025 Chipotle-USA Hockey Girls Tier II 16U National Championships. The tournament begins April 2 at The St. James and the Ashburn Ice House, bringing together 28 teams from 16 states.
Northern Virginia is among 11 locations across 10 states selected to host a national championship. SportsNOVA and Visit Fairfax are using the event to support regional sports tourism, with the hockey tournament projected to generate an economic impact of $1.2 million.
Fairfax County has also assembled a sports tourism task force led by Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity. The group is examining opportunities at locations including a proposed Alpine-X indoor ski facility in Lorton, the renovated Mount Vernon REC Center, Mountain Road District Park, Baron Cameron Park, Oak Marr REC Center and Braddock Park.
Recent and planned attractions include the Solheim Cup golf tournament in Gainesville, mountain bike races at Fountainhead Regional Park in Lorton, The Virginian soccer tournament over Memorial Day weekend and the WAGS Tournament over Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend in October.
The St. James is also scheduled to host the “She Got Game” basketball tournament in December. Baseball tournaments are planned from March through November at Patriot Park North and other fields across Fairfax County.