Sharon Rajaraman
Nine league championships. Five-time Atlantic Coach of the Year. CIS Coach of the Year. And a coveted bronze medal at the CIS Championships in 2003. The list of Sharon Rajaraman’s accomplishments and contributions to Atlantic Canadian field hockey and Saint Mary’s sports is long. But what that list doesn’t include are the countless lives touched.
For the last 32 years, Sharon has been a constant on the sidelines of the Huskies women’s field hockey team, dedicating her life to the support of young women athletes.
Katie Baker, retired Captain of the Canadian National Field Hockey team, who represented Canada at the Pan American Games and the Commonwealth Games, was one of these young women. In fact, Sharon had the foresight to recruit Katie as a standout high school student playing on grass in PEI.
“Sharon recognized my potential and through her leadership, worked with my strengths, built my confidence, and instilled values in me that I brought forward in my leadership of the Canadian team and international career,” says Katie. "She is absolutely tireless in her efforts to inspire young women to reach their full potential and has had a huge impact on my life.”
Sharon’s own field hockey journey began at Dalhousie, where she was a decorated Varsity women’s field hockey athlete, earning All-Star status at both AUAA and CIAU and being named team MVP. She also represented Nova Scotia at numerous National tournaments and was named to the Team Canada Women’s Field Hockey National squad in 1982 and 1983.
After graduating in 1985 with a Bachelor of Recreation Degree, Sharon was appointed as an assistant field hockey coach at Dalhousie before being recruited by Saint Mary’s in 1987. Her part-time position became full-time in 1992, and Sharon has been with the Huskies ever since.
She feels lucky to have had many mentors at Saint Mary’s over the years, including the very first woman coach ever hired by the University—Kathy Mullane—and also Soccer Coach Roy Clements and Athletic Director Larry Uteck.
“Sharon’s contribution to Saint Mary’s University and field hockey is exceptional,” says Kathy Mullane. “She has worked so hard to keep field hockey alive and is widely recognized as the reason that field hockey remains a sport at both the Atlantic (U Sports) and at national levels.”
In addition to her outstanding work ethic, Sharon has a unique coaching philosophy. “Anyone who’s ever played with me knows I don’t consider myself the main decision-maker. I’m one of the team,” she says, adding that each member of that team, even those that sit on the bench most of the season, are equally important. “And the only way we achieve success is to decide things together.”
Coach Sharon Rajaraman with the 1993-1994 Women’s Field Hockey team. Photo: SMU Huskies
At the beginning of each season, Sharon asks the players to write down a personal goal, as well as a team goal for the year ahead, and then share them aloud. “Everyone hears what each other’s goals are and we work together to achieve them.”
Called a master strategist with a keen technical mind, Sharon has always been a top-notch recruiter. Her teams often had the highest percentage of outstanding players meeting the requirements as Academic All-Canadians, and many of her players went on to play for Canada. These days, she works equally hard to encourage the women athletes who have been in the program to come back to the Atlantic region and stay involved in a coaching capacity at the university or high school level, keeping the line of mentorship alive.
Despite her enormous accomplishments, Sharon is a humble person who prefers to share the limelight. One of the people she credits with the success of the field hockey team is Thomas Kochanoff, SMU’s Strength and Conditioning Coach. “Thomas has worked with most of the female sports teams at Saint Mary’s and has gone above and beyond, helping several of the women’s teams in winning AUS Championships and also working individually with athletes from Saint Mary’s who have been selected for Canadian national teams.”
Over the years, Sharon’s achievements weren’t all on the field. She and her husband, Dr. Mal Rajaraman, a radiation oncologist, also raised three sons, all of whom went to Saint Mary’s, with two of the three playing soccer. She also had a critical role in successfully building a 16-team indoor league at the high school level in Nova Scotia and has coached at the national level, working with the Canadian team at the Indoor Masters World Cup in Hong Kong in 2019. In addition, she has extended her talents to Field Hockey Nova Scotia, acting as their President and the AUFH (Atlantic University Field Hockey) as their League Chair for many years.
After 32 years, Saint Mary’s has become a kind of second home to Sharon. She lives just a few blocks from the school, knows someone in every department, and each year recruits members of her team to volunteer their time at charity events such as the Run for the Cure and the annual Blue Butterfly fundraiser for thyroid cancer. Through her example, she has taught Saint Mary’s students the value of volunteering and the importance of giving back. This year, Saint Mary’s celebrates the 50th anniversary of women in varsity sport and the many women who have contributed to successful athletics programs at the university.
“Saint Mary’s has been very good to me over the years,” she says. “As long as I can, I will continue to give back.”
By Renée Hartleib