Sports Babe Of The Day Presents: Tessa Bonhomme, Olympic Gold Medalist/Women’s Hockey, @tessab25 on Twitter
With the Men’s Canadian Team gearing up for their first game during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, we wanted to take a moment to look back at one of the dazzling competitors during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Tessa Bonhomme! She played for Canada’s Women’s team – who took home Gold – and became a major nation-wide crush when we saw how great she looked in our team colours, while holding a can of Coors Light! She’ll be cheering on the Team Canada boys with the rest of us today, so take a moment to read the interview she did in 2012, with past Sports Star Spotlight Writer, Missy Deyo!
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First of all, I have to gush. When I tweeted about Tessa Bonhomme being Sports Star Spotlight, she actually tweeted me back and agreed to do an interview with us! Who knew all these gorgeous, successful women were sweet as pie to boot?!
A lot of fans requested her and I had to agree that she was the perfect candidate for our site. As a hockey-loving female and as a Canadian, it is an honour to be featuring her and learning more about what makes this powerhouse of a woman who she is. After all, she did win the gold medal in Women’s Hockey for Canada at the 2010 Olympics, which is just one of her many accomplishments.
Tessa, who is 26 and plays defence, originally played for the Sudbury Lady Wolves in her hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. She remained there from 1998-2003 and was captain in her final season. Relentless in her pursuit of the sport she loved, she also played for LaSalle Secondary School during that same time from 1999-2003 where she was the leading scorer. That’s a lot of hockey!
As the blond beauty continued her education, she began playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2003/04 season where she racked up impressive stats. Tessa redshirted the 2005/06 season to go hard after her Olympic dreams by preparing with the Canadian Centralization Program. She missed the final cut for the Olympic roster in Torino 2006, but after many impressive victories in her career, found her way to the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 as part of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey team. I can only imagine what she must have felt as she scored Canada’s second goal in their first game of the tournament and ultimately went on to win the coveted gold medal.
Since then, Tessa, who clearly has a sense of humour, appeared on a special athletes-only episode of Wipeout Canada as well as Air Farce, a Canadian comedy show. Another impressive accomplishment was winning Battle Of The Blades in 2011 with partner David Pelletier. Wow! Somehow she manages to find time for it all and still has time to steal the hearts of almost all the men I know! Interesting factoid: Tessa’s uncle has played the keyboard for The Beach Boys since 1997!
Clearly we could go on and on forever about her many accomplishments, but let’s get to what you’re really here for:
20 Questions with Tessa Bonhomme
1. If you weren’t playing hockey for a living, what would you be doing?
Probably pursuing my Master’s in Speech Language Pathology.
2. Do you have any unusual talents?
I juggle… I usually put on little acts for teammates before games. Oh, I also have double jointed elbows (they bend the other way)…strange, but it’s a good conversation piece when things get quiet.
3. Growing up, did you have a role model or someone who inspired you to be who you are?
I feel like I really lucked out in the family department. I grew up around so many strong, independent women and I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I became a young adult. During my early Hockey Canada years, I looked up to (and still do) Cassie Campbell @cassiecampbell and Vicky Sunohara.
4. Are you single, dating, or locked down?
Not married, still shopping. 🙂
5. In 3 words, how would your teammates describe you?
Oh gosh, I’ll have to text and ask them. I think they’d say fun-loving, a bit mischievous, and caring.
6. What was going through your mind when you received the gold medal for Women’s Hockey at the Olympics in 2010?
My first thought after the buzzer went was hurry up and jump on the dog pile, but after that I was trying to find my family in the stands to share the moment with them. When the medal was put around my neck I couldn’t believe I had actually lived my dream. I still have a hard time believing it to this day!
7. You’re stranded on a deserted island. What 3 things do you have with you?
A boat, a fully stocked bar, my family and closest friends (fam + friends count as 1)
8. What’s in your DVD collection?
Mostly comedies, Dumb and Dumber, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, Sweetest Thing, with a sprinkle of scary movies…I get a thrill out of scaring the **** out of myself but immediately regret it when it’s over.
9. Is there a motto, saying, or core truth you try to live by?
Yeah I was visiting an old teammate Jen Botterill @jenbotterill and she had a saying written on a plaque that read, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail.” It made me realize how much we all live in fear of failing instead of simply enjoying and taking advantage of our experiences/opportunities.
10. If we looked in your fridge right now, what would we find?
Just made prairie fire chili, so that, cooked chicken breasts, fruit, veggies, OJ, beer, redbull, and a lot of cheese.
11. If you could hang out with anyone living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Prince Harry… (Hahaha! Tessa, we love this answer. And we agree.)
12. What songs get the most play on your iPod?
I’m an easy listening kind of girl; I enjoy everything except for rap, so I usually start out with Sister Hazel or Tragically Hip or randomly let my iPod choose my playlist.
13. A lot of our readers have crushes on you. What’s your idea of the perfect date?
I don’t really have an idea of the perfect date, as long as there is lots of laughter, a good conversation and a cold drink.
14. What has been the hardest part about pursuing hockey as a career?
Learning to balance your time. As athletes we feel guilty about taking a day off to recover. And to take time for ourselves. I think a healthy balance of training and family/friends is imperative to be able to perform at your best!
15. Do you think there are fewer opportunities for a woman playing professional hockey as opposed to a man?
I think we have a lot of opportunities playing hockey now. In any female sport actually. I think we’ve come a long way and can’t wait to see where we’ll be in 10 years.
16. How and where do you spend the off season?
No such thing as an off season in hockey! Lol I usually take a couple weeks vacation then head back to the gym for the rest of the summer! I like to head home to Sudbury for some of it to visit family and spend some time on the lake I grew up on.
17. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
Some type of bird. A hawk probably.
18. What do you want to get out of 2012?
I want 2012 to be a stress-free, family and friends filled year.
19. Who would YOU feature as Sports Babe Of The Day?
Mark Sanchez! Wouldn’t pick anyone else!
20. What do you want to be remembered for?
I don’t really care if I’m remembered, as long as I continue being me.
Wow, what a woman! She’s had more success at age 26 than some have in an entire lifetime, but is grounded, family-oriented and has a sense of humour, which is perhaps the sexiest asset anyone can have. And you know, here at Sports Star Spotlight we’re a sucker for a girl with beer in her fridge and her mind on the game. Sauce this girl a follow on twitter, at @tessab25 – you won’t regret it. And Tessa, babe, we salute you!
In the meantime, if you need sports action but want a female star to follow, check out the very best female streamers that tackle the world of gaming, and even esports. You can also easily find top twitch streamers from around the country and the world. So, if you’re asking how to grow on Twitch, you can study some of the best and get inspired
