Sara Teegarden, American Government and Civics/AP Comparative Government teacher at FWCD and Harvard alumni, explained how softball forever shaped how she interacts and supports her current students. In her early years, she navigated the highs and lows of a successful high school team, peer relationships, and the recruiting experience. These events gave her insights to better connect with her student-athletes, especially, understanding their challenges and aspirations.
Her earliest memory of playing in the field was at seven years old, on her T-ball team in Weatherford. This was an all-boys team, other than Teegarden herself and her friend Carrie, who played on the mound while Teegarden took on first base. She recalled both her and Carrie’s prowess in the diamond.
“To this day, the man who coached us, anytime I see him, is like, gosh, y’all were so much better than the boys, which we were, to be honest,” Teegarden said.
At age ten, her dad started a travel team for Teegarden and some of her teammates. She recalled how intense some of the practices were, often having twoa-days in the summer. The group stayed together until they entered high school. Eight of them joined one another in the transition into varsity sports. All eight of the athletes, including Teegarden, made the varsity roster as starters.
After their four-year stint as a dominating team, they won state in softball. As for their record, they went 34-0, an unbelievable achievement. Following nearly a decade of competing with one another, the girls grew weary of their relationships.
“We weren’t good friends,” Teegarden said. “By that time, we had spent way too much time together.”
Her coaches were, surprisingly, two football coaches. Teegarden found it funny how even the coaches knew the girls didn’t care for one other. Their primary rule was, “leave it off the field.” This tactic evidently worked for the team’s success.
Though this worked for her high school team, once at Harvard, her coaches emphasized the need to bond. This was news to Teegarden.
“I was like ‘What? What do you mean?’” Teegarden said.
Despite this being startling at first, Teegarden saw the benefits it produced both on and off the field. Once she began coaching, she tried her best to implement both coaching philosophies into her own, in hopes of creating a balance between the team’s success and general happiness.
The summer of her junior year of high school, she began travelling to tournaments and showcases, where numerous college scouts attended. Teegarden met coaches hoping to recruit her from West Point, the University of Texas, Harvard, Dartmouth, the University of Virginia, and Notre Dame. To say the least, Teegarden was a hot commodity to sign for softball. After some reflection, Teegarden realized she didn’t want to attend a school in the state she grew up in, so she knocked UT off of her “might attend” list.
Teegarden went on several official visits. She went through the strenuous process of being admitted into West Point and discovered she was accepted. Yet, after a call with the Harvard Head Coach, her plans changed. She was told after taking four SATs that her most recent test score was high enough for her to be admitted.
Often, Teegarden is asked if she misses playing, and her answer, in short, is, “No, not really, because it was very much a job. I miss my teammates, but I don’t miss it,” Teegarden said.
As both a teacher and a friend, Teegarden has cultivated meaningful relationships with the student-athletes she teaches. She mentioned that she still views herself as a student-athlete, making her more flexible and understanding with their needs. Being an educator, Teegarden heavily focuses on peer-to-peer relationships and always having an open mind to different perspectives.
Madeline Richey ’27 came to mind, when aspiring recruits were mentioned. Teegarden spoke of how she is an immensely talented softball player and student who takes very high level classes whilst balancing club schedules. Richey travels out of state frequently for tournaments and has been forced to learn how to juggle the expectations of academics and athletics. Recently, she committed to Boston College for softball and will be beginning her journey there in 2027.
Teegarden understands the difficulties that Richey has endured through the recruiting process and how many might not empathize with the path she’s on, yet applauds her hard work coming to fruition.
“You actually have to work with athletes like Madeline, because she’s chasing a big dream, and she’s working her butt off here to make that a big reality there, too,” Teegarden said.
It is evident Teegarden’s passion in helping others has continued to flourish. Her ability to be a team player in partnering with each individual student to help them realize their dreams will remain another legacy in her already outstanding career.
