Coach Laura Ardoin prepares to welcome 26 athletes to the varsity program
Produced by: Brenna Medeiros, Alex Tavaglione Ana Dwyer
Coach Laura Ardoin and RWU Athletic Director Kiki Jacobs shared their excitement for the team to start in the fall, with Jacobs describing the immense value Coach Ardoin brings to this first-year team.
[00:00:00] Um, my first question is how involved were you in the addition to bringing this team? Were you, were you brought in…
mm-hmm.
Um, like after the, the team was kind of a thing.
Well, so John King, our VP, right. He was the kind of, I think the mastermind around starting hockey here, but I’m the one who’s brought in like the entire team of players that are coming in for the next season. So I technically got hired August 1st, but I accepted the job back in May. So I was recruiting all summer. So at that point, whenever, August and like Schoolhood kind of started, I think I had like 15 or 16 players committed already at that point.
Head Coach Laura Ardoin
So, um, I’ve been the one that’s responsible for like actually getting the girls to come to campus and things like that. Um, but John King, he was kind of the one who initiated bringing hockey to Roger Williams.
Um. So what kind of hockey background do you have? Were you a player? Is it like just a love for the game? Like what’s kinda your background in the sport?
So, I mean, I’ve been playing hockey since I was three, so I played all the way up through college as well. Um, I went to SUNY Canton and I played [00:01:00] hockey and lacrosse there. Um, and then this is now my eighth year coaching college hockey. So I’ve been pretty fortunate to work at, um, some pretty competitive universities. So it’s kind of nice starting a new program from scratch too, and kind of building it the way that I want to. And it was actually something that I also did as a player. So whenever I was in college, I was a part of an inaugural program. So everything that, like the girls are about to go through the next four years, like. I’ve already seen it all, like I’ve already done it all. So anything that can go wrong, at least hopefully I have some sort of experience, um, with it. But yeah, I’ve, I’ve played hockey my entire life. My dad, um, worked in rinks growing up and so he currently works, um, for the NHL in Vegas. So yeah, big hockey family.
Very cool. Very cool. I love that. Um. So what made you choose Roger Williams to coach at like, you know, when looking for a team to-
yeah.
To work with.
I… I think kind of what I just mentioned about like starting an inaugural program and [00:02:00] really having my hands in and building like the cultures and the traditions and the things that are gonna be long lasting past, even my tenure here, um, was something that really intrigued me, especially having done it as a player. Obviously, I think when you come to campus, like you’d be kind of stupid not to want to hang out here all the time. Like, um, I always kind of compare it to like Cape Cod, but without the hustle and bustle of Cape Cod, like obviously campus is stunning. Um, and then honestly, like my coworkers, whenever I was coming through the interview, like everybody was super easy to talk to, very welcoming, and so it just seemed like the right fit for me. And then growing up, I’m from Houston, Texas, so I grew up by the water. I’m a water baby, so hello. Yeah, right. Very, very obvious, um, that I wanted to be somewhere where I could be by the water, um, and kind of be here for, for a while and like actually like create roots for myself and like have a life outside of just being a coach is something that I feel like I can see myself doing here, [00:03:00] which is nice.
Um, what are you most looking forward to when this season starts at officially in the fall?
Oh my gosh. I think that just from sitting back this past year, I have a lot of fomo of like all of my other coaching friends being on the ice and actually having a season. But, um, I think I’m really excited for all, just like the little first, like our first goal, our first win, things like that, that I know the girls are gonna be really, really hype and excited about because obviously it kind of takes a leap of faith for them to jump into something… that they don’t know what the expectations are and it’s not like they can look up and see like how our team’s done in the past. So seeing them, I think, get to celebrate those like first moments is something that I’m really looking forward to. And I’m also incredibly competitive and, and I would say maybe a little bit of a sore loser at times.
So wanting to be competitive right out the gate, hopefully, you know, see the NCAA tournament within the first four years of the program. Like frankly that’s my goal. So, um, looking forward to like building that up and like seeing us actually get there. That’s exciting.
Yeah. I feel like hockey, like you have to be competitive, like you can’t just be like very passive, [00:04:00] like-
Correct!
You’ve gotta be aggressive with it, so-
Correct!
That’s, that’s a great thing.
That’s a… yeah, I would say my friends would probably call me that, like in my, my personal life as well, so Yeah. No, it fits.
So, um, we’re also in the first season of our Varsity’s Men’s Hockey team. Um, what interaction have you had with them, with Coach Hall, like anything like that? Have you spoke with them at all?
Yeah, Hallsie and I are pretty close. We work really intimately, like well together. Um, I’ve actually been on the bench with them this season, so, um, and I’ve been on the ice with ’em for practices as well. So, I mean, I know all the guys. At this point, like, pretty well, like walking here, I saw a couple of ’em and they, you know, yell at me from across campus. So, um, it’s, it’s fun to kind of have that close knit relationship considering we’re both going through the same things Right. Of building this program, um, on both the men’s and the women’s side. So I don’t wanna say that obviously super grateful that the men have kind of been like the Guinea pigs of this all first ’cause they are. Starting this year as opposed to next year with us. But working with Hallsie’s been great. Like again, we work really well together. Um, and the guys [00:05:00] are awesome and they’re all super excited. Like they ask me every time I see ’em. like, “how many girls do you have?” Like, “what’s going on?” “How are you?” “How’s the team looking?” Things like that. So it’s nice to see that, like they’re also excited about bringing in like their, their female counterpart. So, yeah.
Um, so women’s sports is increasingly becoming more popular thanks to like, people like Caitlyn Clarks… Caitlin Clark, Serena Williams, Simone Biles-
mm-hmm.
Um, so many others. And of course the PWHL.
Yea
um, what does it mean for you to have like an addition like this at a school like Roger? Like we’re not, we’re D 3 sports. Yep. So not super big, but what does it mean for you?
Um, I mean, obviously it’s, it’s incredible. I think the more that you can grow the game, like I know of course had there been the PWHL whenever I was growing up, I probably would’ve tried a little harder. I don’t know. But, um. It is really nice to see, I think like kind of women’s sports starting to get the recognition that I think they deserve. Of course, there’s a long way to go on an equality standpoint of just media coverage of hey of, of all the things that across the board, right? But it is nice [00:06:00] to see that there’s starting to become some sort of like. Legitimacy behind women’s sports, and people like Caitlyn Clark are obviously like paving the way where people, not just females are excited to go watch her play, but males are excited to go see Caitlyn Clark play as well. So it’s really cool to see that. Um, I think that obviously, you know, at any level, right, um, women’s sports in general is, is just growing. So of course on the hockey front, maybe a little biased whenever I say this, but really nice to see that across the board, across the United States, there’s more like women’s programs popping up, girls programs and youth hockey, things like that. So, um, yeah, no, I think it’s incredible, and again, whenever I was growing up playing, like there was no teams in Texas for me to play for, so like I was traveling to St. Louis. Every weekend to go play on a team because there was no options for girls hockey in Texas. Now there’s multiple teams there, so even in the South and in states where maybe it’s not as popular, it’s nice to see there’s growth.
So. Um, so anything else that you wanna add, like, about yourself, like a little fun fact or [00:07:00] like, anything you’re excited about the team, like anything else that you wanna add?
Um, oh gosh, I don’t know. I think it’s, it’s gonna be fun to kind of see a bigger group of first year college students come together. ‘Cause the majority of the team that’s coming in is first year. So right now we have 26 girls committed. 23 of those will be first years. So. Yeah, a lot of fun personalities coming in. A lot of fun, young energy, which I think is gonna be really, really exciting to see it all translate onto the ice. Um, I don’t know if I was necessarily anticipating it being that many first years, but honestly, like there’s not a single one of ’em that I would trade for the world at this point because their personalities I think are gonna be a really nice like combination, so excited for everybody here to start to get to know them whenever they’re on campus in the fall. Um, get to see them on the ice. And yeah, hopefully have some fun along the way. So
Are they all like fresh outta high school, like graduating seniors, like coming in? Are they like transfers? Anything like that? Little bit of both?
[00:08:00] So right now I’m not looking at any transfers just because all the college seasons are still happening. So once the seasons end, um, potentially, but they would have to be obviously, I think the right fit with just being at 26 already. ’cause in the NCAA you can only dress 22.
Okay.
So, um… and that’s 19 skaters and 3 goalies.
Yeah.
So depending on what I really want the makeup of the team to look like, um, maybe, but like I said, it has to kind of be the… the right fit. So there’s actually three girls that are already on campus who are gonna be joining the team.
Cool.
Um, in the fall, Lexi Yost, she’s a junior, she’s also on field hockey. Sarah Mansy is a sophomore, and then Kelly McKenna is a first year right now and she also plays softball as well. So, um, we’ll have the three of them. So it’s nice to kinda have a little bit of like leadership of like, Hey, they know how to get to classes and they know, you know, where the dining hall is, things like that because there’s gonna be 23 bright-eyed bushy tail, the first years looking at the three of them and being like, help us. Yeah. So, um, it is nice that, that we have those three already, um, [00:09:00] here and know the lay of the land and all the things so. It’ll be nice to kind of hopefully see those three, like kind of step up, um, and take a natural like leadership role just with having 23 first years coming, which is quite a bit. But yeah, it’s, it’s exciting. It’s fun.
