It was my first real story as a journalist. I was writing for a Badger sports magazine, and my editor had set up an interview with Sara Bauer. Bauer was a member of the Badger woman’s hockey team that had won a National Championship the year before and won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best woman’s player in college hockey.
I was nervous as I waited for Bauer to come off the ice after practice. Before my prep I did not know a whole lot about women’s hockey other than we won our first championship the year before. All my research made me the huge fan that I still am today.
While I waited, I chatted with another reporter from the college newspaper. He was there to interview multiple players, and they shuffled over to him as they came off the ice. I struck up a casual conversation with one player as we both waited for our interviews. She was the back-up sophomore goalie that started sharing time with the incumbent this season.
Who would know that I would talk to two Kazmaier winners that day.