A6 Saturday/Sunday, January 16-17, 2016, Bangor Daily News
A6 Saturday/Sunday, January 16-17, 2016, Bangor Daily News
Coach Continued from Page A1 North Heal Point standings behind Fort Fairfield and Penobscot Valley of Howland. “I bring up my traps in November so winter and spring are dedicated to basketball,” said Thompson, whose husband, Frank, is also a lobsterman. Thompson is coaching at her alma mater. The former Heather Strout is a Harrington native who played basketball, volleyball and softball for the Knights before graduating in 1993. She began fishing with her father, Gary, as a youngster. “My dad needed a sternman and I was the oldest of three girls so it was me,” said Thompson. “The only time I got off during the summer was when I went to basketball camps in Orono and Machias. I enjoyed the camps and they gave me some weeks off from lobstering. It was my summer vacation. Lobstering is very demanding.” Her father instilled in daughters Heather, Hilary and Holly the proper work ethic required to be a successful lobster fisherman. “[Dad] pushed us. The guys were doing it and we weren’t little people, either. We were strong. So if guys could do it, our father said we could do it,” said Heather. “He used to say to us ‘be somebody’ and that would motivate us.” She said her father would
teach them the do’s and don’ts of lobster fishing while they were setting and hauling traps with him. “Looking back, I wished I had paid a little more attention to him,” said Heather, who considers her father a wealth of knowledge. Their mother, Roxanne, was very supportive but was leery about the girls going out on the lobster boat. “It’s a mother thing. I feel the same when my boys [Spencer and Nathan] go out on the boat,” said aHeather. When she married Frank Thompson in 1994, she retired from fishing with her father and joined her husband in his lobster boat. “But that lasted only two years. I thought, ‘I can do this [on my own],’” said Heather, who got her first boat in 1997, an 18-foot outboard. Lobster fishing had its benefits on the basketball court for her. “I was physically strong from doing the work I did,” explained Heather, who has raised a lot of eyebrows as a lobster fisherman. “When I was a little bit younger, I used to get upset when people wouldn’t take me seriously as a lobster fisherman. They would chuckle. Most of them couldn’t fathom that a girl could do anything like that,” said Heather. “But it doesn’t bother me now. Some people just don’t realize women can do what guys do. So I’m proud of it. I work hard and I’m dedicated.” Her competitive nature
has served her well as a lobster fisherman and a coach. She has had a profitable career. “It has been going pretty well,” said Heather. “Like anything, the harder you work and the more you put into it, [the better off you are]. It’s competitive out there and I don’t like to lose. So if it’s a nasty day and a lot of the guys decide not to fish, I’m still going out. You get whatever you put into it.” She is also “very competitive” with her family, as they are with her. She said her husband may land a bigger haul, “but I’ve got to come home and do all the mother stuff, too.” Her husband also has 800 traps. Their sons, 19-year-old Spencer and 14-year-old Nathan, are also lobster fishermen. “I don’t like my kids to beat me but I like to see them do well,” said Heather. Spencer is having a 44foot lobster boat built and Nate will inherit Spencer’s current boat. The 40-year-old Thompson spends a lot of time fishing with her sister Hilary (Oliver) on Redneck Girls during the summer and fall months. “I’m her boss and I like to tell her that,” joked Heather. Basketball is an occasional subject. “I’ll bounce things off her but we don’t talk a lot of basketball because we’re so busy on the boat,” said Thompson, who began
Narraguagus High School girls basketball coach Heather Thompson spends winter and spring concentrating on basketball and the rest of the year captaining her lobster boat, Redneck Girls.
contributed photo
coaching peewee basketball when she was 19. She said she finds coaching “more mentally demanding” and stressful than lobster fishing, although she admits that through all her years of coaching basketball, volleyball and softball at different levels, “I’ve never had any major issues. “When you’re fishing, you don’t have to worry about anybody. I’m a people pleaser and you can’t please
everybody. I want people to be happy and that’s not always the case [as a coach],” she said. Her players find the fact their coach is a lobster fisherman cool. “It’s great,” said Narraguagus tri-captain and 1,000-point scorer Kelli Kennedy. “A lot of people around here love to lobster fish, including me.” Her players have also enjoyed her as a coach. “She has been really good
to us,” said senior forward and tri-captain Cassidy Osgood. “She has done a real good job,” said Kennedy. Thompson said it is important to be a role model for her players. “It’s all about respect. I hope they look at me as a strong, independent woman and someone who treats people the way you want to be treated,” said Thompson, who is a staunch proponent of team bonding.
Coach Continued from Page A1 North Heal Point standings behind Fort Fairfield and Penobscot Valley of Howland. “I bring up my traps in November so winter and spring are dedicated to basketball,” said Thompson, whose husband, Frank, is also a lobsterman. Thompson is coaching at her alma mater. The former Heather Strout is a Harrington native who played basketball, volleyball and softball for the Knights before graduating in 1993. She began fishing with her father, Gary, as a youngster. “My dad needed a sternman and I was the oldest of three girls so it was me,” said Thompson. “The only time I got off during the summer was when I went to basketball camps in Orono and Machias. I enjoyed the camps and they gave me some weeks off from lobstering. It was my summer vacation. Lobstering is very demanding.” Her father instilled in daughters Heather, Hilary and Holly the proper work ethic required to be a successful lobster fisherman. “[Dad] pushed us. The guys were doing it and we weren’t little people, either. We were strong. So if guys could do it, our father said we could do it,” said Heather. “He used to say to us ‘be somebody’ and that would motivate us.” She said her father would
teach them the do’s and don’ts of lobster fishing while they were setting and hauling traps with him. “Looking back, I wished I had paid a little more attention to him,” said Heather, who considers her father a wealth of knowledge. Their mother, Roxanne, was very supportive but was leery about the girls going out on the lobster boat. “It’s a mother thing. I feel the same when my boys [Spencer and Nathan] go out on the boat,” said aHeather. When she married Frank Thompson in 1994, she retired from fishing with her father and joined her husband in his lobster boat. “But that lasted only two years. I thought, ‘I can do this [on my own],’” said Heather, who got her first boat in 1997, an 18-foot outboard. Lobster fishing had its benefits on the basketball court for her. “I was physically strong from doing the work I did,” explained Heather, who has raised a lot of eyebrows as a lobster fisherman. “When I was a little bit younger, I used to get upset when people wouldn’t take me seriously as a lobster fisherman. They would chuckle. Most of them couldn’t fathom that a girl could do anything like that,” said Heather. “But it doesn’t bother me now. Some people just don’t realize women can do what guys do. So I’m proud of it. I work hard and I’m dedicated.” Her competitive nature
has served her well as a lobster fisherman and a coach. She has had a profitable career. “It has been going pretty well,” said Heather. “Like anything, the harder you work and the more you put into it, [the better off you are]. It’s competitive out there and I don’t like to lose. So if it’s a nasty day and a lot of the guys decide not to fish, I’m still going out. You get whatever you put into it.” She is also “very competitive” with her family, as they are with her. She said her husband may land a bigger haul, “but I’ve got to come home and do all the mother stuff, too.” Her husband also has 800 traps. Their sons, 19-year-old Spencer and 14-year-old Nathan, are also lobster fishermen. “I don’t like my kids to beat me but I like to see them do well,” said Heather. Spencer is having a 44foot lobster boat built and Nate will inherit Spencer’s current boat. The 40-year-old Thompson spends a lot of time fishing with her sister Hilary (Oliver) on Redneck Girls during the summer and fall months. “I’m her boss and I like to tell her that,” joked Heather. Basketball is an occasional subject. “I’ll bounce things off her but we don’t talk a lot of basketball because we’re so busy on the boat,” said Thompson, who began
Narraguagus High School girls basketball coach Heather Thompson spends winter and spring concentrating on basketball and the rest of the year captaining her lobster boat, Redneck Girls.
contributed photo
coaching peewee basketball when she was 19. She said she finds coaching “more mentally demanding” and stressful than lobster fishing, although she admits that through all her years of coaching basketball, volleyball and softball at different levels, “I’ve never had any major issues. “When you’re fishing, you don’t have to worry about anybody. I’m a people pleaser and you can’t please
everybody. I want people to be happy and that’s not always the case [as a coach],” she said. Her players find the fact their coach is a lobster fisherman cool. “It’s great,” said Narraguagus tri-captain and 1,000-point scorer Kelli Kennedy. “A lot of people around here love to lobster fish, including me.” Her players have also enjoyed her as a coach. “She has been really good
to us,” said senior forward and tri-captain Cassidy Osgood. “She has done a real good job,” said Kennedy. Thompson said it is important to be a role model for her players. “It’s all about respect. I hope they look at me as a strong, independent woman and someone who treats people the way you want to be treated,” said Thompson, who is a staunch proponent of team bonding.
