Eyes On The Horizon

It takes a special type of hockey player to want to be a goalie and it takes a unique person to want to become a pilot as well.

St. Thomas netminder Calla Frank is that type of player as she not only is pursuing her dream of being an airline pilot, but she’s also trying to help fly the Tommies to a WCHA championship.

As different as those two jobs may be, Frank said they complement each other well and they help her stay mentally sharp.

“I noticed with being a goalie and being a pilot, mentally, they’re very similar,” Frank said. “In a game as a goalie, you’re the last line of defense. The score kind of depends on you. If you make a mistake, it goes up on the scoreboard. Also, as a pilot, if you make a mistake, you’re going down if something really bad were to happen. So, they’re very similar mentally, and I was able to, throughout my career learning as a pilot, to take those lessons I’ve learned from hockey and flying and kind of implement them into each other.”

“You’ve got to be mentally clear most of the time because things are going to happen and you’ve got to stay sharp mentally. And same thing as a pilot. If things don’t go the way you’re expecting, you’ve got to be quick and react and make that next move. One of the focal points of flying is always making sure you’re ahead of the airplane. Making sure that your tasks are done, so you’re not overworking yourself and falling behind. And same thing when you’re a goalie, stay ahead of the play.”

Calla Frank eyes the puck in last season’s Hall of Fame game against Minnesota State. (Photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

All in the family
Frank said that being a pilot is a “family thing” as her grandpa was her first flight instructor and her dad was also a pilot. She picked up her private pilot’s license right before she started her freshman year of college.

“You get a whole different perspective of the world than just being on the ground,” she said. “It’s really cool to go flying and you’re looking at stuff out the window, and I’d never see that if I wasn’t flying. It’s just a lot of fun. I enjoy it a lot.”

In addition to helping her enjoy flying, Frank’s dad also got her to become a goaltender after testing her at home.

“So, when I was 8 (years old), I first noticed the (goalie) pads and I thought that was pretty cool,” she said. “Then they let me put them on, and I thought that was sweet. Then my dad really wanted to make sure that I was a goalie. So, he took me down to our basement that was unfinished at the time. We had a little net and a little shooting area. He put me in the pads and everything and starts whipping slap shots at my head. And I loved it. So, from then on, I was a goalie.”

Frank admits though that goalies are “different” from other players. She’s grown to accept that image.

“I would say we’re weird considering we want to see pucks and have them hit us,” she said, with a laugh. “We’re definitely a different breed. I embrace it 100%. Me and my goalie partners are all very weird so we all get along. On the ice, people look at us and are like ‘We’re just gonna let them do their thing because they’re just a little different.’”

Frank started her collegiate career at Minnesota State where she got a chance to play hockey and pursue an aviation career. The Mavericks logo also may have played a minor role in that decision and was a small bonus.

“I was like 8 to 10-ish, and we would always go to the (Minnesota) Gophers games,” she said. “And for some reason, every time, they were playing Mankato, and I just always was like ‘I want that purple cow to win.’ So naturally, when it was time to pick a college, Mankato and the purple cow. I’ve been cheering for them forever at this point, and I always wanted them to win. It was just a really good fit for me.”

Calla Frank makes a save in the Oct. 4, 2024 game against Post University. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

While at Mankato, Frank got her commercial rating, which allows her to get paid to fly, but not for an airline. She also picked up her certified flight instructor license back in August and will be getting an extension of that license sometime next year. She says that she’s currently at 400 flight hours and needs to get to 1,000 hours before she can fly for an airline.

“It’s very mentally taxing at times, especially when you’re working toward a new rating,” she said. “It’s not easy. You have to study a lot, so I think the studying part and always showing up mentally prepared to go through a lot of stuff. That’s definitely the hardest part.”

From one ‘purple’ school to another
After four years with the Mavericks, Frank transferred to St. Thomas last season where she’s pursuing a master’s degree in information technology, which she said will help her as a pilot.

“It actually complements aviation pretty well,” she said. “It’s a lot of coding and some of my classes actually talk about aviation because aviation is going to be a lot more automated. So, having that knowledge of coding and automation kind of translates into aviation pretty nicely.”

While at Mankato, Frank was flying three times a week for three or four-hour blocks, but now, she says she flies every two weeks or so, just so she can keep up her proficiency and build up more hours. While on the ice, she says she takes her analytical pilot mindset with her and doesn’t partake in superstitions and rituals.

“I get asked this a lot, but I don’t, which is very different from a lot of goalies,” she said. “A lot of goalies have to do this and this before the game, and I just kind of go with the flow. Every game is different, and as a pilot with that mentality, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. So, I just kind of go with the flow and take stuff as it comes.”

Looking toward the future, like most pilots, Frank says she’d like to fly for one of the major airlines. She recently got her seaplane rating, so there’s one more task to check off her list.

“It’s very different because with land planes, you’re flying in and there’s not much around the airport,” she said. “Whereas with seaplanes, you’re flying and you’re 50 feet above the trees, and it’s just a whole different atmosphere. Landing on water is very different as well, but it’s really fun because you’re able to go to the lake and see a lot of things you really wouldn’t see.”

Even though her future may literally be up in the air, Frank said she’s also trying to stay grounded in the present. She’s happy she made the decision to come to UST. She also notched her first shutout as a Tommie, with a 7-0 win over Post University on Oct. 4. 

“I just want to enjoy it,” she said. “It’s my last year and I just want to continue to love the game.”

Just a goalie staying steady with her eyes on the horizon.