Kelley O’Hara, who graduated  in 2006, had hundreds, maybe even thousands,  of people back home in Fayette County and at Starr’s Mill rooting for her as she and her teammates on the women’s soccer team won Olympic gold in London this summer.  O’Hara, a standout player here and at Stanford, was also a member of the women’s World Cup team, which finished second to Japan.  Editor Hallie Anderson recently had an opportunity to talk with her.

Q: What would you say your favorite memory was from the  London 2012 Olympics other than winning the gold medal?

A: So many! Can I just say the whole five weeks?

Q:  Who would you say was your biggest supporter throughout your Olympic experience? Why?

A: Definitely my parents, Dan and Karen. First of all, I wouldn’t be here today without them, if you know what I mean. But secondly, I would never have made it this far in my career without them as well. They have always been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic when it comes to me playing soccer. However, they were never overbearing and I am so thankful for that. It was always my choice as to how I wanted to handle my soccer,  but they were always there to pick me up when I got knocked down.

Q:  What was the first thing that came to your mind when your team won the gold?

A: WE DID IT!

Q: How has winning a gold medal changed your life?

A: Besides being asked questions about the medal, people wanting to see it and take pictures with it, not a lot.

Q: What kind of challenges have you faced to get this far on the USA team?

A: So many. You name it, I’ve been through it. Injury, getting cut, being benched. None of them were fun but they were all worth it.

Q: How was playing in the Olympics different from sitting the bench in the World Cup last year?

A: Much more exhausting, but so much more fun! No athlete ever wants to sit the bench, but I learned a lot from being at the World Cup and felt like I played my role as a bench player the best I could. Going into the Olympics, I knew that there was a good chance I would get a fair amount of playing time, but I never knew I would play every minute of every game. It was incredible and a whirlwind but I loved every minute.

Q: What was going through your mind when the national anthem started playing? (Everyone here was going crazy! We were so excited to see a Starr’s Mill alumna on the gold medal stand.)

A: That was my favorite part of the whole podium ceremony.  I had actually forgotten about that part, and then I was standing on the podium and suddenly remembered it and got super excited. I belted out the entire song and had the biggest smile on my face!

Q: How has your public status changed since the Olympics? (Are people pointing and saying, “That’s Kelley O’Hara!”?)

A: There are actually a couple paparazzi camped outside my apartment right now . . .  Just kidding. Not much has changed and I am quite thankful for that.

Q: Could you give high school girl soccer players three tips about pursuing their soccer dreams?

A:  Spend as much time working on your touch as possible. Spending solid one-on-one time with Mr. Soccer Ball is never bad for your game.

If you want to play in college, make school a priority. I did because I didn’t know until halfway through high school that I even had a shot of playing college soccer. It paid off when it came to looking at schools. (Go Stanford!).

Love the game. If you’re passionate about soccer, it will show when you play.