Saved By The Bell: Sk8er Girl

Figure skater and 2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes, one of the most heartwarming sports stories of last year, got into Harvard early.

Good for Sarah Hughes! Who the heck doesn’t like Sarah Hughes? She’s America’s sweetheart, and could be Harvard’s as well—although that’s not a sure thing at this point.

It’s been reported that Hughes, 17, is also looking at Columbia, Princeton and Yale. The schools are, undoubtedly, also giving her a pretty long look themselves. Hughes’ dad, John, told The Crimson that a major factor in her decision will be her training schedule, and both Columbia and Yale are a lot closer than Harvard to her training site in New Jersey and her home on Long Island.

Not that it’s any of my business—I don’t know Ms. Hughes, and I’ll be long gone by the time she packs her bags for college—but I think this is an easy call.

I’m sure certain people on campus would agree. Three words: Evening With Champions. How much are those guys salivating right now? That could be the biggest candlelight vigil surrounding a prospective student since those Star Wars fans a few years ago.

Hughes should matriculate here, but not for any Eliot House fundraiser. If she enjoyed winning gold in Salt Lake last year—and it sure looked like she did—she’s probably gotten used to finishing on top. Why not find a place where she could win a couple dozen times a year?

You heard it here first. Sarah Hughes should dump figure skating for good and try out for the Harvard women’s hockey team.

The Crimson has won nine straight games—the longest streak in the country—and continues to hang on to the No. 1 ranking in the polls. The roster reads like a who’s who of the sport, and Harvard puts double-figures on the scoreboard almost routinely. They’re a near-lock for the Frozen Four in March. Shoot, I’d play for them if I could.

Yale and Princeton aren’t even close, competitively. And Columbia women’s hockey is about as close to happening as Florida State skiing.

Sarah Hughes and Harvard women’s hockey. What’s keeping this from happening?

She’s got the potential. Yes, anyone who has seen a women’s hockey game knows that it’s serious business, and Sarah’s frame probably wouldn’t hold up that well in intense check-fests against Dartmouth and Minnesota-Duluth.

But let’s not forget the girl in the first Mighty Ducks movie, the one who distracts the opposition by twirling around in front of the net. Sarah could perfect that role and perhaps—just perhaps—change the game forever.

And her pioneering could help certain ex-Olympians gain badly needed employment. Starting at decoy for your Chicago Blackhawks, No. 20, Tonya Harding!

Hughes has hockey in her blood. Her dad was the captain of the 1969-70 Cornell men’s hockey team that won the NCAA Championship. Her two brothers play hockey as well. Bloodlines on ice run deep—just ask any Moore. These things have to count for something.

She’s got the welcome wagon ready. “I’d take her on my team any day,” says junior Angela Ruggiero, who won a silver medal for the U.S. in Salt Lake and has met Hughes. “She’s really cool, very down to earth.”

Between Ruggiero and fellow silver medalist and forward Julie Chu, the three of them could get together and do whatever it is medalists do when they chill.

Olympic medal party in Mather tonight! Whooo!

Hughes has a very doable task in front of her. Jessica Ruddock, the junior goalie, points out that figure skaters take power skating lessons for hours, and that a number of hockey players—herself included—learned to skate from figure skaters. The overlap is there.

“It’s a great idea,” says Ruddock, who adds that Hughes would need to add just a little muscle.

Ruggiero estimates that the average Crimson player weighs about 150 lbs. Sarah Hughes isn’t quite there yet, but I’m sure it’s nothing that the weight training crew across the river couldn’t take care of by next winter.

I know you’re reading this, Sarah Hughes. Listen. There’s no future in figure skating, not when Tonya Harding is beating up Paula Jones on Celebrity Boxing and Oksana Baiul is trying to resurrect her career after DUI charges. When Brian Boitano dies, more people will remember him for his hilarious “cameo” in the South Park movie than for anything he did on the ice. And you, Sarah Hughes, are the only reason why figure skating, a tarnished sport, could emerge from the 2002 Olympics with its head held high. There’s no future there.

But Harvard women’s hockey? Who could resist? Jump aboard now. Join the Greatest Show in Harvard Sports while you still have a chance. Figure skating fame is fleeting; NCAA Championships last forever.

And please hurry. If I were you, I’d start that weight training program sooner rather than later.

—Staff writer Martin S. Bell can be reached at msbell@fas.harvard.edu.