Girls’ Athlete of the Year: Burbank’s Bochard excels in trio of sports
Kira Bochard has never been one to limit herself.
That philosophy was never more apparent than with Bochard’s approach to sports. Prior to her arrival at Burbank High four years ago, Bochard immersed herself in a wide variety of athletic endeavors.
“As a kid, I really played just about every sport,” Bochard said. “I played so many, like basketball, softball, hockey, soccer, gymnastics and a lot more. If there was a sport, I pretty much played it. I just loved sports and wanted to try them all because they were all different.”
But as a freshman, Bochard faced a predicament.
“Since there are just three seasons in high school sports, I knew I had to pick just three sports and that was going to force me to specialize, which was kind of tough,” she said. “I just love sports and I really enjoy athletics and the whole aspect of being part of a team.”
Bochard encountered coaches who encouraged or strongly suggested she pick one sport and specialize in that. But looking back, she’s happy she didn’t heed their advice.
“I know some coaches wanted me to limit myself to just one sport and concentrate on that, but I just couldn’t do that,” she said. “I knew that I could contribute in every sport that I played and help the team get as far as they can.”
One individual who had no intention of monopolizing Bochard’s talents was Bulldogs track and field and cross-country coach Darin Wolf.
“I was always open to her playing other sports,” Wolf said. “Never did I try and get her to specialize. ... That’s what she wanted to do and she proved she could be successful in all the sports she participated in.
“I know there are coaches who just care about the sport they are in and they want an athlete to be in that one sport. There are coaches who have highly suggested that, if not flat out told their players that.”
Bochard chose to participate in cross-country in the fall, soccer in the winter and track and field in the spring.
Bochard’s successful tenure at Burbank came to a close this past school year and she excelled in all three sports. Along with earning all-league first-team honors in cross-country, she was co-Pacific League Player of the Year in soccer and won an individual league championship in track and field.
It is because of those accomplishments that Bochard has been voted the 2016-17 Burbank Leader Girls’ Athlete of the Year. The honor is the second in a row for the Bulldogs three-sport standout.
Her senior campaign didn’t start out as planned for Bochard, who was sidelined into September after suffering a hamstring tear prior to the cross-country campaign. Although she had to catch up and accelerate her training to get back into shape, Bochard made remarkable progress.
At the Pacific League finals at Arcadia County Park, Bochard finished seventh, earning her all-league first-team recognition.
“That was really a big goal for me, to be able to earn first-team all-league,” Bochard said. “Really, I wanted to be all-league in all the sports I played.”
Looking forward to the soccer season, Bochard, who earned All-CIF Southern Section accolades as a junior scoring 23 goals, was forced to sit out the first two weeks of the season under CIF rules after her club season ran late. The Bulldogs struggled as a result. Even when Bochard returned Burbank continued to sputter, getting out to an 0-7 start, including opening with three Pacific League losses.
But behind Bochard, a forward, the Bulldogs (7-10-3, 6-5-3 in league) recovered and qualified for the playoffs by finishing fourth in league. She ended the season with 27 goals and 11 assists in 16 contests and was named the co-league player of the year and was once again an All-Area first-team pick.
Bochard came through for the Bulldogs in the playoffs. Bochard was asked to go into goal when Burbank’s Division IV wild-card match went to penalty kicks. At goalkeeper, the Bulldogs senior stopped two shootout shots and converted the match-winner in Burbank’s 2-2 (3-1) victory in penalty kicks over Pasadena Mayfield Senior.
“That was pretty crazy in that playoff game,” she said. “I really, really wanted to win that game and when they asked me to go in as keeper I just wanted to do anything I could to get that win and help the team. ... I guess it turned out pretty well. It was just so exhilarating when we got that win.”
After soccer season, it was quick transition into track for Bochard.
“The thing is that Kira stayed in shape through all of her sports,” Wolf said. “So, the transition from soccer to track isn’t really that dramatic. Since she runs the hurdles and she hadn’t really been over hurdles, it was more of just some technical things with her. But all in all, it’s a pretty quick transition for her.”
Bochard’s versatility shined in her final dual meet against archrival Burroughs as the Bulldogs girls’ team prevailed, 71-60. Bochard won three events against the Indians - the 300-meter hurdles, the 400 and triple jump.
In the Pacific League finals at Arcadia High, Bochard completed a successful three-peat, capturing her third straight 300 hurdles title with a time of 45.96.
Bochard enjoyed success in three sports while maintaining a 4.2 grade-point average, which included five advanced-placement courses her senior year.
As in high school, Bochard was looking to compete in multiple sports in college. She passed up some bigger colleges and accepted a scholarship to play soccer and compete in track and field at Division II University of Montevallo in Alabama.
“Looking back on how I handled sports in high school, I’m glad I had the opportunities that I had and I would do it all again and again the same way,” Bochard said. “I just got so much out of playing all the sports that I did.
“I’m really looking forward to college and hopefully I will be able to continue to be successful playing two sports.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
