|
 Medical
school has been beckoning Sarah Tueting, who studied
neurobiology at Dartmouth College. Summoning her, too, is a
music career; she is an accomplished cellist.
Then again, she might want to be a writer. Or maybe she
should teach sailing again?
"I need a self-help book on how to choose a career," Tueting
said during the recent U.S. Olympic media summit.
Partly because of that emotional gridlock, Tueting, 25,
decided not to decide just yet. Which is to say she returned
to hockey, where she had been the winning goaltender in the
U.S. women's glorious drive to gold in the 1998 Nagano Games
in the sport's first Olympic competition.
Considering Tueting slept in her first goalie pads for a
week when she got them at age 6, considering the ice is the
only place her mind "shuts up for five minutes" and that she
loves "not thinking," maybe it was no surprise that she
chose to return to the familiar after a 10-month
"retirement."
Still, she had made a compelling point about moving on:
"I've never had a feeling like this, and I don't think I
ever will again," she said after saving 21 of 22 shots in
the gold-medal game against Canada.
What she meant, apparently, was the pioneering sensation.
Because Team USA is not merely a contender but a clear
favorite to repeat in the Salt Lake City Games.
Entering its final four exhibition games with China, the
women's hockey team is 27-0, including a stunning 8-0 vs.
Canada, which has won all seven World Championships but
finished second in the only Olympics.
"The truth is that the difference is not that much. . ."
U.S. coach Ben Smith said, according to USA Hockey. He
added: "Winning the first 27 was great, but no one was
handing out medals at the end of those games. Salt Lake is
the place where the rubber meets the road."
Or, in the cases of Tueting and co-starter Sara DeCosta,
where the rubber meets the pads, blocker or mask.
They are just two of 14 returning players from Nagano (there
are six newcomers) but their relationship illustrates the
camaraderie and chemistry that has helped make the team
special.
When Tueting was told she would start the 1998 gold-medal
game, for instance, DeCosta responded by giving her a
guardian angel pin that Tueting wore on a sleeve.
Tueting provided a glimpse of a typical moment in their
rivalry: " 'I want to beat you out. But, Sara, can you tell
me why I keep getting beat on the blocker side?' "
Added Tueting, "I trust her more than any coach I've ever
had."
So much for the typical goalie relationship, which Tueting
said could range from "mildly hostile to totally
volatile."
Instead, she reserves those emotions for Team Canada, which
she dislikes even dressing near.
"You're like, 'Can't they put (their locker room) on the
other side of the rink or something, where we don't have to
see them coming off the ice?' " she said.
With a laugh, she added, "I don't hate them. . . . But do I
want to be friends with them? Not in this life or any
other."
Though that much is the same, much is different for the team
now.
For one thing, their sport seems to have attracted a wider
audience and participation level. The number of females
registered with USA Hockey has grown from 6,336 in 1990 to
39,345 in 2001.
The new team demographic reflects the increased interest and
access of younger athletes. Five of the six new players,
including 16-year-old Lyndsay Wall, are 20 years old or
younger. Wall is the roommate of defender Karyn Bye, 30.
"I guess one of the biggest differences is in the taste in
music we play in the locker room," Bye said. "She puts
something in, I'm like, 'Who's this?' I don't have a clue. .
. .
"(The younger players) keep everything fun and lively."
They also reminded their older teammates of how far they've
come. Because of the proliferation of women's leagues and
teams, seldom do girls now have to finagle their way into
the sport, as Karyn Bye did: She got her start one night
when her brother was sick and her father disguised her in
his equipment.
If that wasn't exactly wearing a burka, it also wasn't
exactly liberating. All through her adolescence, Tueting
played on boys' teams and heard the murmurs about
favoritism. Her response: "Well, beat me out or score on me,
then."
They couldn't.
And now, when Tueting and Co. remove their masks, they can
be proud to show who they are.
" 'We're women, did you expect me to have a beard, or what?'
" Tueting said.
But with no women's professional league awaiting, Tueting
soon will have to take that mask off for good and move on
with her life. If only she can decide what to do.
"If anybody out there has any advice," she said, "I'm
willing to take it."
--By Vahe
Gregorian of the
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch
--January 19, 2002
|
