June’s Youth Athlete of the Month is willing to face new challenges in sport

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Youth Athlete of the Month for June takes on all sporting challenges, whether it be on the court or the ice.

Kenslee Hammond is an 11-year-old with an appetite for all things sports, according to her mom, Sabrina Hammond.

Sabrina describes Kenslee as a “bubbly kid” who will show up and encourage teammates to give it their all.

“She’s always happy and always making people laugh,” said Sabrina. “Win or lose, she maintains a pretty positive attitude and demonstrates really good sportsmanship with her teammates.”

Kenslee has been involved in figure skating since the age of five, inspired to join by her aunt, Jennifer Hammond, who coaches with the Fort St. John Figure Skating Club. 

This winter, Kenslee decided to follow in her older sister’s footsteps and give volleyball a go, playing for the U-12 squad with the Fort St. John Ice program. 

Sabrina says that, even though she suffered an injury in a season-opening tournament, her daughter never lost her positive attitude.

“She even tried to play with her injury,” said Sabrina. “It was not successful, but she was still there to cheer her team on, and she gave it her all.”

“The following weekend, she missed out on another tournament with the flu, but she was still there to cheer on her teammates.”

Mom says Kenslee is willing to play all types of sports, from hockey to track and field, saying “her positive and strong character shines through” in all aspects of her life, including in school.

“She seems to get lots of rest, is in bed before 9 p.m. every night,” said Sabrina. “She’s just a go-getter; she doesn’t stop. She needs to go all the time, or else she’s just sitting down and playing on her iPad.”

Having tackled both figure skating and volleyball simultaneously through the winter months, Sabrina said Kenslee is unsure about committing to one sport, with her mom saying, “She’d like to do both.”

By being June’s Youth Athlete of the Month, Kenslee will receive a $100 gift card courtesy of Fort Motors and have a feature story on Energeticcity.ca.

To nominate a local athlete for Fort Motors’ Youth Athlete of the Month, visit the Youth Athlete of the Month website.