She remains a fierce advocate for having transparent discussions with her mentees and wants them to know that to be the best athlete they can be, the work does not stop on the ice.
“Now that I’m out in the community a lot, I really see myself in these young girls and I see how they sometimes struggle with anxiety or struggle everyday dealings of life and sports,” said Bolden. “I wanted to tie in the lessons I’ve learn along the way, bring in some of my amazing peers that I got to play professional women’s hockey with along my journey, and just have a really fruitful discussion and sharing for six months.”
Bolden can remember when she was younger, being the only girl on her hockey team. Along with not having many hockey athletes that looked like her to go to for support, Bolden remembers struggling to find where she fit within the sport. Her works strives to change that for her mentorship group and for the next generation of athletes.
“We had about 30 girls, ages 13 to 16, and we just spoke on really goal setting, fighting through adversity,” said Bolden. “A lot of the girls were the only girls on their hockey teams. Just giving them some information and sharing the experience of what I went through when I was a young girl growing up – it was really important for me to just give back to them.”
Bolden’s playing career has seen her wear many different jerseys, but none more important than the USA jersey she wore when she competed in the Under-18 Women’s World Championship in 2008 and 2009, tournaments in which her team won gold both times.
“I remember being told when I was a teenager about that opportunity, because my biggest dream was to be an Olympian. I told my mom and dad that when I was a young girl and I saw the 1998 team,” said Bolden, about her opportunity to represent Team USA on a prominent stage.
“I said, ‘if that’s the highest that women can be in hockey, then that’s what I want to do,’” said Bolden. “To be able to wear that jersey and represent my country, to play overseas and be able to travel and experience hockey and meet friends that you’ll make and have for a lifetime.
