Kāpiti College teacher Kate Thompson is excited about taking on the role of Goldie mascot

PotassiumThompson had always wanted to compete in the Olympics as an athlete.

She was active in swimming and triathlons but never reached the pinnacle of representing her country in major international multi-sport events.

But she is set to compete in the Paris Olympics and will be a key member of the New Zealand team, even if it wasn’t how she expected.

Thompson, who is head of physical education and health at Kapiti College, was chosen to wear the Goldie mascot costume.

The New Zealand Olympic team held a social media competition called Gordie’s Passport to Parisinviting people aged 16 and over to show them why they would make a good mascot.

New Zealand Olympic Committee staff and the Athletes’ Commission watched a large number of videos before declaring Thompson’s video the winner.

Representatives of some teams came to the college and gave her a big surprise.

Thompson will be wearing the Goldie costume and bringing a lot of publicity to the mascot role at various New Zealand team events in Paris and more.

When Thompson heard about the competition, she encouraged college students to participate because she felt there were “a lot of cool students who would fit the role.”

But it didn’t get much attention, and the day before the registration deadline, Thompson told her colleague Emily Perriam that at least something should be filmed.

“I walked into the gym with my class (9DS) full of energy and enthusiasm and told them I needed their help.”

Thompson donned a mascot-like costume and interacted with students in a series of cheerful scenes.

“We put some videos together, shot by Emily, and then Isaac Brody, the film and design teacher, edited it all to make it really cool.

One of the sports captains, Mckaela Woodward, uploaded the video to Instagram and then the wait began, with Thompson just crossing his fingers for the result.

“Isaac’s video is 100 times better than I expected, but it’s also a long shot because you can see all the other amazing work through the hashtag.”

Thompson received an email from the team saying the competition was “very intense” and that more time was needed to make a decision.

But the email was actually a ruse, as the team was planning to travel to the university to give her a triumphant surprise.

Periam knew about and helped plan the surprise event, which took place at the college’s Te Raukura ki Kāpiti Performing Arts Centre.

“I’m totally blown away and overwhelmed with emotion,” Thompson said.

“It was almost like a dream.

“I feel like this is not only about me personally, but also about the college.

“One of our values ​​is unity, and that’s a big part of what we stand for.”

She was able to bring another friend to the XXXIII Olympics and chose Periam, who will help produce video content, accompany Thompson to various events, interact with athletes, and more.

Thompson “always wanted to be an Olympic athlete but didn’t succeed.”

“I’m a former swimmer and triathlete.

“But you know what, I’ll take this and be the mascot.”