Bauer at home on the ice
Sara Bauer’s classroom is the arena.
The former two-time national champion with the Wisconsin Badgers is getting the best of both worlds, combining her love for teaching and passion for hockey with The Sara Bauer Hockey Academy.
Bauer, who was one of 20 players recently selected for the WCHA’s 20th Anniversary Team, holds an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and a Master of Education, but has focused on teaching hockey for the last five years rather than working in a classroom.
“I think it’s that teaching mindset. I get to teach but in a venue that I really love, being on the ice,” said Bauer, a 34-year-old St. Catharines native. “Where I go next, that’s undecided, but I think as long as I’m teaching, that’s what I love doing.”
Bauer, who is currently pursuing a PhD in Health Biosciences at Brock, fell in love with teaching hockey after being asked by former St. Catharines Falcons head coach Darryl Belfry to help in one of his schools. Belfry has worked with several NHL players on skill development.
“I think one of the major things I’ve learned from him is to look at the game as a teacher and not a coach,” Bauer said. “There’s a difference. Coaches do teach but in terms of skill development and the way we approach it, it’s everything from the way you watch a player move to the way they execute a drill, to the way you’re planning practices. The purpose is different so the way you go about it is different.”
Bauer said Belfry encouraged her to think outside the box.
“He taught me not to do certain things the way I was taught or because that’s the way it’s usually done,” she said. “Challenge yourself to be creative and some of those principles have really helped me.”
Bauer has also coached in the last few years with the midget AA Junior Badgers and at Brock, but it’s teaching and skill development that is closest to her heart.
“That’s what I enjoy the most,” she said. “I really like working with a small groups and being able to track a player’s progress and set up plans for them.”
Bauer has extended her teaching to the basketball court where she volunteers with the St. Francis Phoenix senior girls team.
“I really do like working with that age group,” she said. “I really liked the values and dynamic inside the school, and St. Francis in particular. I really respect what they do there in terms of guiding their students and I also am really thankful for my experiences there so if there’s a way I can give back, then I’m really happy to be able to do that.”
Bauer has fond memories of her time at St. Francis where she participated in basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field and even tennis.
“I have a lot to be thankful for my experiences there,” she continued. “It was a big part of me growing into the person that I did.”
She is happy to be able to volunteer.
“There is such value in that. Maybe it sets an example that volunteering is valuable and important and get outside of yourself.”
Bauer made headlines from a young age. She became the first girl in St. Catharines history to play AAA boys hockey when she made the minor novice team as an eight-year-old in 1992.
She continued playing AA and AAA boys hockey for the St. Catharines Minor Hockey Association through major midget.
Bauer received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Wisconsin where she played hockey from 2003 until 2008.
Her accomplishments at Wisconsin are staggering.
She was named WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) Rookie of the Year and was elected to the All-WCHA Rookie Team and All-WCHA Second Team. She again led the team in points in each of her next three seasons, serving as assistant captain her junior and senior years and guiding the team to back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four national championships in each of those two years. Along the way, she received numerous awards and accolades, including First Team All-America, USCHO (United States College Hockey Organization) and WCHA Player of the Year, and Frozen Four Most Valuable Player honours.
In 2006 Bauer was named the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey; she was also a top-three finalist for the award in 2007.
When her playing career at Wisconsin finished, she held 17 team records.
She was also part of the Canadian National Team program between 2004 and 2008 and a member of the Under-22 Team in 2005-2006, playing against the Senior National Team during a camp in August 2005, and helping the team capture the Air Canada Cup in Germany in January 2006.
Her resume is beyond impressive, but it came at a time when social media was in its infancy and women’s hockey wasn’t quite the story it is now.
“I’m really proud of what we accomplished as a team,” she said humbly of her time at Wisconsin. “We won the school’s first two national championships back to back.
“In terms of the way the game has grown and the media attention, I almost feel it’s better I was there when I was. I’m not a big person in the spotlight. I really enjoyed my teammates and just coming to work every day.”
For more information on Bauer’s academy, visit: http://sarabauer.silverfluxdesign.ca/sara-bauer/
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