Megan Thorn flies over the hurdles as a CMS 7th grader. (John Fisken photos)
Thorn throws down an impenetrable wall, giving teammate Cassidy Moody room to operate during an 8th grade hoops game.
Life on the range calls to Megan Thorn.
“I love to ride my horses, they are my other life.”
A competitor with the Whidbey Western Gaming Association, Thorn, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, has appeared several times at the Island County Fair.
With a fair amount of time devoted to her animals, their care and competing with them, she plans to reduce her sports load from middle school as she steps up a school.
After playing basketball (she was a scrappy ball-hawk) and running track at CMS, Thorn is planning on only playing soccer for the Wolves.
“In the beginning of the year I was going to do soccer and basketball, but due to being busy with my horses in the spring time I decided I will only be playing soccer,” she said.
“I love basketball and track but my favorite sport would be soccer,” Thorn added. “I have always played soccer since I was little.”
Part of the allure of soccer has been the chance to be a vital part of a team which needs to work together to succeed.
“I enjoy having a team, people I can count on, people I can ask questions to or just people I can talk to if I need someone,” Thorn said. “I like being an athlete because of the people I get to meet and become friends with.”
On the field, she considers her speed and her willingness to be a team player (“I play wherever someone puts me”) as strengths.
“I need to work on being confident on how I play,” Thorn said. “Just play the game, don’t overthink what I am doing.”
As she jumps into high school life, her focus on mixing “playing strongly and having fun” with nabbing good grades in the classroom remains very much in place.
Those traits were instilled in her by parents Blake and Gretchen Thorn.
“The biggest impact I have would be my parents; they are always supporting me with whatever I do,” Megan said. “I love them so much, and I thank them every day for being there for me.
“They made me who I am.”
