Photo by Mark DiOrio
At 9 a.m., she’s in all black with quirky round glasses and ruby red lipstick, discussing the design of a medical practice renovation in New York City. At 9 p.m. she’s donning a helmet stamped with the mantra “stay sassy,” stealthily blocking pucks in New Jersey.
To say Kimberly Sass ’12 is a multitasker would be selling her short. The 28-year-old architectural designer, professional hockey goalie, and entrepreneur leads a structured life so she can express her creativity through both her professions and her hobbies. Spend a day in her life:
7:15 a.m.: Wake up and shower. Grab your grilled chicken, mixed greens, and overnight oats. “You have to eat healthy or else you don’t survive the season.” Don’t forget your gear for the rink, contacts, and protein powder. You won’t see your bed again for nearly 17 hours.
8 a.m.: In Jersey City, N.J., walk to Liberty State Park light rail station, noticing the strong figure of Lady Liberty on your left. Take the train to Hoboken, transfer to the PATH that takes you to 30th Street in Manhattan, and walk a block to Jack L. Gordon Architects.
9 a.m.: Today you’re going into the field to take photos of a cardiology practice suite renovation — the end of a long-term project. Seeing a job go from initial sketches to a physical space is your favorite part of your work.
6:15 p.m.: Make sure you have everything for practice — you’re headed back to New Jersey. Walk a couple of blocks to Penn Station in rush hour. Take New Jersey Transit to Newark Penn Station. It’s close to the holiday season, so schedule social media posts for your Etsy shop, Rusted Tower Design, where you use your Colgate studio art major to create commissioned artwork. Then, get off the train and walk five minutes to the rink at the Barnabas Health Hockey House in Jersey City to join your team, the Metropolitan Riveters.
7:45 p.m.: After a quick meal, get ready for practice. Discuss warm-up drills with your coach and chat strategy with your teammates, some of whom also came from full-time jobs. “I’m different from my teammates in that I’m very artistic, even into clothing style and accessories. Most people arrive wearing athletic clothes, so if I come in full work attire, they kind of laugh about it.”
8:45 p.m.: Get on the ice. Warm up, then practice shooting and conditioning. In one drill, two players skate down the ice. One woman passes the puck to the other, then she takes a shot far away from the goal. As goalie, you get a feel for the puck and work on controlling rebound. You’ll get to more game situational drills later in the week, before Saturday’s game.
10:30 p.m.: Exhausted, amble back to the locker room. “I move at a sloth’s pace taking my equipment off because it’s a lot to have accomplished, and I like to enjoy that I have just finished something.” Chat with teammates like Kiira Dosdall ’09. Shower, head home.
11:30 p.m.: Pack your bag for tomorrow, when you’ll do it all over again. Couchbound, decompress in sweatpants and catch up on approximately 10 minutes of Grey’s Anatomy before falling asleep.
12:30 a.m.: Move from couch to bed. You have to be up in four hours for private goalie practice.