The Belly Up Podcast of the Month of July is Slapshot Sweethearts hosted by Shannon Walsh and Megan Rach. Slapshot Sweethearts is a podcast that is centered around hockey, focusing on the NHL and the NWHL but most importantly focuses on the women’s host concept. The podcast is great to listen to if you are a hockey fan seeking entertainment from great discussions from even better hosts.
Most people join a sorority in college to find people that are similar to them. This philosophy couldn’t be more true about the hosts of Slapshot Sweethearts. Shannon and Meg met during sorority recruitment at American University. From there, they joined the same sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, and remained close friends throughout their undergraduate careers. When people think of sorority girls, they do not typically think of people interested in sports. Since Shannon and Meg were constantly involved in conversations about sports, the duo were tagged as the “sports people” of the sorority. That is how people referred to them.
Once undergrad ended, Walsh remained in Washington D.C. whereas Rach traveled north to reside in New York City. The two continued being friends but as friendships age, communication lessens. When Walsh became part of Belly Up Sports, she wanted to bring the organization its first hockey podcast. That is when she reached out to Meg, asking her to assist her in hosting the show. Meg loved and accepted the position of co-hosting the podcast, being the pioneer of hockey podcasts for Belly Up Sports, now having a variety of hockey podcasts with many large followings. The show has been up and running for eight months!
Slapshot Sweethearts has found an abundance of success on social media and through its followings. They release episodes as often as they can record them. They are very active on Twitter and Instagram which is where you can find their latest updates. During the regular hockey season, the duo would try to do one live game a week and throughout the playoffs, as many games as their schedules allowed them to. Despite being on opposite coasts and not having seen each other in years, the podcast keeps them in contact and strengthens their relationship. Make sure to check out their podcast and keep an eye out for them as the hockey season skates in.
