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A third generation Big Greener makes a name for herself
9 Sanders is as skilled at shooting big game in the Alaskan wilderness as she is at firing hockey pucks at opposing Ivy League goalies. Sanders is an 18-year-old sophomore who plays defense on the Dartmouth women's hockey team. 9 gained some notoriety last year because of her unusual first name. As might be expected, 9 wears number 9 on her Big Green hockey uniform. At one point last winter, she had scored 9 goals and assisted on 9 others. She had also been assessed 9 two-minute penalties. The name and the statistics made her a perfect subject for a press release, which received extensive play in area newspapers. The Dartmouth Sports Information Office, in preparing the release, asked 9 how her parents had arrived at the name. "I don't know why they named me 9, but I do have a brother named 7," Sanders said.
Actually, 9 is Sanders's middle name. Her full name is Wendy 9 Sanders. Her parents meant the 9 to be a joke. "But they put it on the birth certificate," Sanders said. "And I've never used Wendy." The name never caused any problems while she was growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, but it certainly raised a few eyebrows when she came to Dartmouth. "I've never been asked so many questions in my life," she conceded. 9 is the third generation of the Sanders family to attend Dartmouth. Her grandfather, the late Richard Sanders, was a member of the class of 1929. Her father, Robert Sanders, is a member of the class of 1960, and her uncle, Richard Sanders, is a member of the class of 1959. If 9 is the right name, green is surely the right color for her.
Born in Oklahoma, 9 moved around a lot in her early years because of her father's job with the U.S. Geological Service. She started skating at the age of three and began playing hockey when she was seven, her first year in Anchorage. She was an anomaly, though, since she said she'd "never played with any girls until Dartmouth." Sanders played center and wing during her first four years in the Anchorage Hockey Association league. Her team won the championship three times during that span. Then she was shifted to defense in junior high school. Being the only girl on an all male team did cause a few problems. Her team was once scheduled to play in the CanAm championship, but when Sanders was not allowed to play, the team pulled out of the tournament. During her freshman and sophomore years at Robert Service High School in Anchorage, Sanders played on the junior varsity hockey team. Her career with male teams ended when she was a junior. "I made the cut for the varsity my junior year," Sanders said. "But as soon as I made the varsity, I was getting killed." She has some regrets about not sticking it out, though: "It was an all-championship team," Sanders noted.
Sanders was graduated with honors from Robert Service High School in 1982, lettering one year in cross country skiing while there. She had considered attending the University of Idaho, but finally decided to come to Dartmouth. "I fell in love with the place," she said. Hanover is a long way from Anchorage, some 5,000 miles in fact. Sanders had considered driving her car to New Hampshire, but figured it wouldn't make it. So she flew. "It takes a full day 14 hours of flying time, and there's an eight to nine hours layover. And it costs a lot of money," she said. Her freshman year was not without problems. "Last year was not easy," she confided. "I was homesick, but not any more. I'm really glad to be here now. I hope my brother gets in. That would really be enjoyable." 9 is the oldest of three children. Brother Ross McKenney Sanders is a 17 years old senior at Robert Service High who has applied for admission to Dartmouth. Ross is named for the late Ross McKenney, advisor to the Dartmouth Outing Club from 1937 to 1962. Stefan 7 Sanders is the youngest at five years old. Sanders was planning to return to Alaska during the Christmas break. "I want to see my baby brother," Sanders said. She will spend the next five terms at the College before returning to Alaska.
While she is home in Alaska, Sanders may very well indulge in another sport in which she also excels as do other members of her family. Sanders is an expert marksman with high powered rifles. She became Alaska's state junior and women's high power riflery champion before beginning her freshman year at Dartmouth. Sanders downplays the significance of the championships. "There were not that many competing," she said. However, she is proud of her accomplishments with the modified M-14 rifle last summer. Sanders was one of about 70 shooters who competed in the Regional Invitational High-Powered Championship in Anchorage. "I took fifth in the regional," she said. "I beat my dad and he still hasn't lived it down. There are a lot of Army and Air Force personnel who haven't lived it down either."
9 Sanders has been hunting since she was seven. She became interested in shooting when she was a member of the Civil Air Patrol. "My father and I have always hunted together," Sanders said. Her mother Jo, who teaches German, is also an avid hunter. The Sanders's hunting grounds are situated 150 miles northeast of Anchorage. The game is caribou, moose, and bear. "I hunt caribou alone a lot," 9 said. So far, she has shot six caribou and two moose. She is skilled at gutting, skinning, and boning animals in the field. But the 5'4" Sanders conceded that she has some difficulty carrying a dead moose, which can yield 260 to 280 pounds of meat, out of the wilds. She deplores the practice of some New England hunters who shoot their prey, toss the dead animal into the back of a pickup truck, and take it to the butcher. "I can't believe people don't cut up their own meat," she said. "What a sin! I wouldn't trust anybody else to cut up my meat."
When she returns to Hanover, Sanders's attention will turn back to hockey. During her freshman year on the women's hockey team, she scored ten goals and assisted on 11 others. The team posted a 14-8 overall record and was 5-5 in Ivy League competition, good for a third place finish. Sanders was one of three defensemen who started on a rotating basis. She was particularly optimistic about the outlook for the 1983-84 women's team. "We've got so much talent coming in," 9 said during an interview prior to the start of the season. "We have fantastic freshmen. We will be working well together, especially when we get used to each other. Watch out, Princeton!" Sanders's prediction appears to have some justification. In the Big Green's opener, the team whipped Boston College, 14-0, at Thompson Arena. The Green had a quartet of players who chipped in with four points. Freshman Linda Duva scored four goals, and seni or cocaptain Julia Nye tallied three goals and an assist. The Dartmouth defense allowed only ten shots on goal and Green netminders Kristen Bjork and Ann Jaquith managed to turn aside all of them.
Sanders is a pre-med student majoring in biology. As a freshman, she compiled a 3.2 grade point average. I was pretty pleased," she said of her grades. Playing hockey and earning better than a B average takes some effort. "I worked it out OK," Sanders said. "But it takes a lot of planning." The team has a two-hour practice each night. Yet hockey practice actually ties Sanders up from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. because of the time required getting to and from the ice rink and dressing and undressing. Dinner and studying follow practice, and then it's to bed by midnight because of an 8:00 a.m. German drill. Sanders said Sunday is catch-up day, a day which frequently involves 12 hours of study. She would like to do some other things, but doesn't have the time. "I miss hiking, working in the woodshop, and just free time in general I don't have any." Sanders has already decided that she will not play hockey during her senior year. Instead, she will be taking part in a foreign study English program in the Caribbean. She said she would also like to get involved in rock climbing and kayaking, which she does in Alaska. "Some of my friends want me to play rugby, too," Sanders said. "I also want to get into biathlon." That sport is a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting with a small-bore rifle. You can bet it won't be long before she's mastered that as well.
Number 9 on the Big Green women's hockey team—9 Sanders—plays a meanbrand of defense. Hanover is a long way from her hometown of Anchorage,Alaska, but being on the ice at Thompson Arena helps this defenseman shake thehomesick blues.
