NATIONAL CROQUET MUSEUM

Sara’s sojourn into the coterie of croquet began in 1996 in Central Park when she first joined the New York Croquet Club, which is one of the five original US Croquet clubs. There her organizational and leadership talents were quickly recognized. Within a year or two of joining the club, Sara was asked to join the Board of Directors of the NYCC. In nearly twenty years of service on the Board, Sara served on various committees, serving as secretary for over a decade and finishing her service as president of the club for five years.

Although Sara spent many years tirelessly serving the croquet community in New York City, her contributions didn’t stop there. In 2005, she was recruited by then President of the USCA, Rich Curtis, to join the USCA Membership Committee. Service to many committees was to follow, among them Membership 2005-2006, Management 2009-2021, Marketing 2021-present, Communications 2021-present, and Grievance 2022-present. If that wasn’t enough, Sara also served as USCA Secretary from 2009-2014, First Vice President 2014-2017, and ultimately as USCA President from March of 2017 until March 0f 2021.

Sara’s achievements and contributions to croquet do not end with a list of the roles she has performed. Here are some lasting initiatives that focus on her past and present efforts. Increased communication at both the national and club level has always been very important. The lasting efforts of Sara’s work are still very evident at the NYCC. As a result of her tireless efforts there, the lines of communication between the New York Croquet Club, The New York Lawn Bowling Club, and the Central Park Conservancy have never been better.

On the USCA level, Sara created the now very popular “Weekly Croquet Break.” This online column composed of croquet articles for the membership and written by members, is a highly successful endeavor, likely to be with us for many years to come. During Covid 19, members were invited to share their personal croquet stories with each other. Their online articles were sent to over 3,000 members and are one of the most popular ways to keep our members connected.

While President of the USCA, Sara strengthened the coverage and subsequent general awareness of all four rules disciplines of croquet. The lasting effects of that focus are clearly visible in today’s USCA. Sara was responsible for the adoption of the USCA’s conflict of interest policy and educating the members of the Management Committee about their legal obligations as officers and directors of the organization. Other major contributions include a renewed commitment to the US presence on the international stage. Croquet players of all abilities and attributes were always the highest priority for Sara. As USCA President, she demonstrated an open and proactive method of leadership, welcoming new ideas and encouraging open discussion, and regularly forming subcommittees to address and update procedures. The updating of the Grand Prix, with the addition of a Women’s Ranking System, was a product of one such committee. This change instituted the Grand Prix award for Women, now known as the “Jackie Jones Award”. Teddy Prentis’ untimely passing was quickly acknowledged with the addition of the “Teddy Prentis Award for Excellence in Croquet Instruction.”

Additional USCA accolades to be added to an already exceptional resume include 2011 Club President of the Year, 2014 President’s Award Recipient, 2021 Recognition Award for the leadership of USCA Communications, and 2022 Michael Strauss Award for Journalism.

Sara has a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University Drama School. She held senior executive positions at a leading advertising agency specializing in the promotion of live entertainment. Most of her clients were shows on Broadway or their traveling productions. She is also involved in the world of fly fishing enjoying and taking part in the sport as an angler, a teacher and fishing guide, a travel business owner, and book author. Her nonprofit work in this field includes having served for many years as a director on the boards of a fly-fishing museum, a conservation organization, and a fly-fishing club.

Sara has valued her croquet tournament experiences by highlighting the relationships she made rather than the trophies she took home. She always took interest in both the newcomer and the veteran meeting for the first time. Improved communications and human relationships are what fill Sara’s trophy case. Of special note, Sara Low and John Osborn are the champions of the New York State Golf Croquet Championship. This is a very fitting achievement for the first female president of both the New York Croquet Club and the United States Croquet Association. The CFA and USCA are proud to recognize and champion Sara Low for induction into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame in 2024.