SARAH ZACHARIAS ’08 & REGAN BOULTON ’09 Interview by Jennifer J. Pawluk
On March 10, 2019, the BH Blazers won their first international championship since joining the highly regarded Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL) in the program’s third season, 2008/09. Winning the championship game in overtime versus North American Hockey Academy (NAHA), the Blazers ended the 2018/19 season with a historic victory. Behind the bench were Coach Sarah Zacharias, Class of 2008, and Assistant Coach Regan Boulton ’09. Jennifer J. Pawluk—What lessons will you carry with you after last season’s JWHL championship? Sarah Zacharias ’08—A tremendous feat, what I took away from that euphoric moment were all the challenges we had to overcome along the way. “Life is a journey, not a destination,” and reaching the summit for the first time in program history felt so much more special to me after reflecting on how much the team pushed each other and worked together all season long. We always looked at failures as an opportunity to learn and grow, and we were able to keep a positive mindset through each one we faced. When you can walk away from a game knowing that you worked hard and had fun, well, nothing else matters after that, and a championship just becomes the icing on top of the cake. JP—How have your own experiences as elite studentathletes impacted your coaching styles?
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THE PORTAL | FALL 2019
“DISCIPLINE, SELFLESSNESS, RESPECT, PERSEVERANCE, ACCEPTANCE, AND FRIENDSHIP ARE ALL VALUES THAT ARE GAINED THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF SPORT.” Regan Boulton ’09—We have lived the strenuous, and sometimes stressful, lifestyle of an elite studentathlete, and so we understand firsthand just how difficult it can be to balance your schedule and stay both mentally and physically fit while maintaining grades and having some kind of a social life. We take extra care when planning our season. We always aim for balance with everything we do, and we listen to our players when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. JP—Why is it so crucial to you that the girls you coach become more than good all-around athletes, but, more importantly, good people?
SZ—Hockey is a means to an end. What you learn from the game matters most. Discipline, selflessness, respect, perseverance, acceptance, and friendship are all values that are gained through the experience of sport. Everyone’s hockey careers will eventually come to an end, and, when they do, looking back what you remember is not how many game-winning goals you scored, or how many big saves you made, but, rather, how you treated your teammates, and what they meant to you as friends.
