Silver medal for Melody Kroeker

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Published on Monday, March 26, 2018

By Sheila Runions

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Readers may recall a Feb. 23 story which announced Melody Kroeker of the Harding area is still pursuing her 10-year dream of Olympic competition in the sport of judo. It told of her participation in the annual Pacific and Edmonton International events and a training camp. The first face off in Richmond, B.C. March 3 and 4 did not net the 18-year-old any more medals for her collection but she once again enjoyed the experience. 

Mother Laurie Kroeker says, “Melody fought very well in Richmond. She had some good throws and kept her matches going for quite some time. We were pleased with the progress she has made over the past year.”

Following that weekend contest, she attended Richmond’s four-day training camp (March 5-8) which taught her new techniques and ideas to help her improve her speed. Tips from the training camp proved to be valuable tools; she claimed a silver medal at Edmonton International, March 10 and 11.

“We were able to see the benefit of the previous week's training,” says Laurie. “She fought with excellent technique, losing one match but winning three other matches, that resulted in a well-earned silver medal win in under-21, 57 kilograms. The fights were intense. Melody commented on how each girl gave the other tips on how to fight the next competitor in each upcoming match. The ongoing respect, support, learning and camaraderie were impressive! Both events were streamed live; it was a joy for us and others to be able to watch her from home. Please pass on a big thank you to all who support her in her efforts.”

Included in the February story to announce these competitions was a paragraph that a Go Fund Me page had been created to offset some expenses related to travel, lodging, food, etc. Some readers provided financial support.