Guest Sarah Howald Hughes, Dartmouth ’96, started playing hockey at age seven, at least a year after she wanted to. She was told girls couldn’t play in the league that young. When she was eligible she kept playing—with the boys—until going off to high school for junior and senior year, setting her sights on playing at the college level. Hockey got her to Dartmouth, which she ended up loving, despite the long hard hours of training, practicing and competing as a two-sport athlete. Though a formidable javelin thrower, she shone on the ice. As a college sporting career studded with Ivy League championships and All-Ivy recognition came to a close, she didn’t want her time in a rink to end. Instead of pursuing continued playing opportunities, however, she wanted to be a coach.

The problem was, a starting coaching job was going to pay little more than a volunteer role. So she opted to go back to school for an education degree, which would put her on a more secure path toward a teaching job with a coaching assignment. When she finished the degree, though, and was offered the teaching job in a small town in Saskatchewan, she was also offered—on the same day—another chance at a University coaching position. Having turned the dream down once, she wasn’t about to turn it down twice, even with the salary disparity. More than two decades later, she has built her program and lived the dream.

In this episode, find out from Sarah how seeing things from both sides can make you appreciate where you are…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Sarah Howald Hodges has been the head coach for the University of Regina Cougars women's hockey program in Saskatchewan for more than two decades. She has also coached for the Canadian National's U18 and U22 teams in addition to leading other development efforts for the sport. In her playing days at Dartmouth, she was on two Ivy League Championship teams, was named first team All-Ivy, and was one of the co-captains our senior year. She led her team in points for two of the four seasons, and is still among the top-ten leaders in career goals in the program's history. She also threw a mean javelin. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, with her husband and two hockey-playing daughters.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Career Coach: Sarah Hodges on skating through life and seeing things from both sides

Roads Taken