| Kelly
Thompson - All in the Family
At the young
age of 17, Kelly Thompson already has clocked 10 years of
experience as a water polo player - and knows what it takes to
win.
Kelly loves
"the team work it takes to win the game. It can't be won
by one person. It has to be a team effort." Occasionally,
working for the good of the group rather than individual honor
demands tough love - "I've broken my nose four times. …all
by girls from our team!!!
Kelly got her
start in the sport with North Vancouver Cruisers, anxious to
play the same game as her older brother and sister. "I
followed in their footsteps. I liked the idea of being able to
swim over people. My brother and sister played and I wanted in
on the fun." Spend any time in water polo and you'll find
it's a small but intense world - Kelly's first coach with the
Cruisers was James Gardiner, who now coaches her at the
Pacific Storm water polo program she joined seven years ago.
Success came
quickly for a player described by teammates as energetic,
bubbly and athletic, in a sport she describes as full contact
European Handball with a touch of basketball. "When I was
12 I went to Cadet Nationals. We won silver and I was very
excited. I got a national medal before my older sister!!! It
was quite the experience." Kelly and her teammates have
followed that early success with two gold medals at subsequent
national competitions, and she has enjoyed personal success as
well with a spot on the Top 50 Canadian youth team.
Future
ambitions for this grade 12 student at West Vancouver's
Rockridge secondary school include a scholarship to an
American university and "to win one last National
Championship this season. "Beyond that, she'd like to
consider a career in the RCMP or as an adventure tourism
guide.
Other sports
that have caught her interest include soccer, volleyball,
equestrian, gymnastics, ultimate Frisbee and mountain biking.
She has also served as a volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Kelly
Thompson is available for interviews.
Contact:
Cheryl Wilson-Stewart
BC Water Polo - PR
Tel: 604.737.3148
Email: pr@bcwaterpolo.com
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