Coach takes swing at playing sports again

It's been a long time since Sarah Hilworth has seen her own name on a lineup card.

At 26 years old, the head coach of Olds College's women's hockey team is still in her prime athletic years. But she hasn't been a competitive athlete since 2013, the year she blocked a shot and shattered her kneecap while playing for the University of Alberta Pandas.

That injury, which Hilworth says took three surgeries to fix, ended her fifth and final year of eligibility in CIS hockey. Even as of last winter, she couldn't run.

But in late August, she finally had the chance to play again – only not in hockey. Hilworth fielded third base and pitched for the gold medal-winning Team British Columbia at the 2016 Senior Women Invitational Championships in Red Deer. It was the highest-level baseball tournament for women, featuring select players chosen to represent Team Canada at the World Cup in South Korea.

Growing up in Vancouver, Hilworth played baseball every summer in the Hastings Little League since she was five years old. She played on the AAA boys teams, one year making it to the national finals.

"I was really fortunate to be with that group, to be with really high-calibre coaches that weren't afraid to teach me things because I was a girl. I was in a really good environment. I loved baseball growing up," she says.

Baseball ran through the family. Her brother played in B.C.'s Premier Baseball League. Her mother Denise was also a huge baseball fan. Mother and daughter connected through sports long before Denise passed away from cancer in 2011.

Hilworth took a hiatus from the game when she moved to Edmonton for school at age 17.

But just like riding a bike, she discovered that she could still field, hit and find joy in the game, despite the years having passed.

"You still want to get out there. You still want to be a difference maker. I've always been a competitive person where those high-pressure situations, you almost live for. It's nice to have that opportunity again," she says.

The Broncos coach is entering her second season with Olds College. Playing with Team B.C. was a good reminder of what it's like taking directions from whoever's behind the bench or in the dugout; lessons she'll take with her.

"It does keep you humble and keep you on your toes and thinking about that player's perspective. I like to think I'm a players' coach and I try and understand the athletes," she says.

"It grounds you a little bit, to remember that they're still kids and they still need to be guided and shown confidence." [email protected]