• Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt - 2022

Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt (or “Coach Becky” as she is better known locally) was born and raised in Sauk Prairie and began playing hockey in 1982, the first year that Sauk Prairie had a hockey association.  She continued to play until her “parents wouldn’t let her play with the boys.”  She began her life in hockey skating on the outdoor rink and would remain active as a player as she grew older.  Her coaching career began when she was a senior in high school as she took the reins of the Sauk Prairie Mite team and led them to a successful season.

Following college, Hildebrandt returned to coach in her hometown in a new indoor arena, taking control of the 6U Cross-Ice program.  She has overseen this program ever since and has had an enormous affect on players and parents coming into hockey, many for the first time.  In turn, she has influenced outcomes for the skaters as they grow older and move on to 10U, 12U and 14U programs.  Many of these adults, with no experience in hockey, are shepherded into the coaching ranks as a direct result of contact with Hildebrandt.

After more than two decades of coaching, Hildebrandt returned to playing hockey and has convinced other females to participate in the sport for the first time.  The love for the sport that she projects to the players she coaches, the other coaches she works with and her teammates with whom she plays speaks volumes of her leadership qualities.  For the members of her Sauk Prairie association, Hildebrandt exemplifies the meaning of volunteerism when she drives more than an hour each way from her home in Cottage Grove to spend countless hours coaching in the Sauk Prairie program and attending other games to watch many of the skaters who got their first introduction to hockey under her tutelage.

In her professional life, Hildebrandt has been a past director for numerous non-profits including Make-a-Wish and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  She is currently the Operations Director for Maydm, a non-profit located in Madison that provides girls and youth of color in grades 6-12 with skill-based training, preparing them to engage in and revolutionize the tech industry.

Hildebrandt and her husband Larry live in Cottage Grove and have a daughter Nicole.