Courtney Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Courtney Thompson
Personal information
Full name	Courtney Lynn Thompson
Born	(1984-11-04) November 4, 1984 (age 40) Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Hometown	Kent, Washington, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	146 lb (66 kg)
Spike	109 in (276 cm)
Block	104 in (263 cm)
College(s)	University of Washington
Volleyball information
Position	Setter
Number	17 (2012), 3 (2016)
National team
2007–2016  USA
Medal record Women's volleyball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2012 London Team Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team World Championship Gold 2014 Italy Team FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix Gold 2012 Ningbo Team Gold 2015 Omaha Team Silver 2016 Bangkok Team Pan American Games Bronze 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2011 Guadalajara Team

Courtney Lynn Thompson (born November 4, 1984) is a former professional volleyball player from the United States. She was a setter for the United States women's national volleyball team. Courtney helped her college team, the University of Washington, win a national championship in 2005. She also set a record for career assists per game in college volleyball. With the national team, she won a gold medal at the 2014 World Championship. She also earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Courtney's Volleyball Journey

High School Success

Courtney Thompson went to Kentlake High School. There, she played on the volleyball team. Her team won three state championships. In 2002, she was named the Washington State Player of the Year.

College Achievements

Courtney played volleyball for the University of Washington from 2003 to 2006. As a first-year student, she started every game. She set a school record with 1,590 assists in one season. She also led her conference in assists per game. She was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team.

The next year, Courtney broke her own school record with 1,643 assists. She led the conference in assists per game again. She was named to the AVCA All-American first team. She also made the Pac-10 All-Conference first team.

In 2005, Courtney led the entire nation in assists per game. She averaged 14.89 assists per game. She also set a University of Washington record with 4,841 career assists. Her team, the Huskies, won the NCAA Division I national championship. For the second year, she was named to the AVCA All-American first team. She also made the All-Pac-10 first team. She was part of the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team. She also won the Honda Award for volleyball.

In 2006, her final year, Courtney again led the nation in assists per game. She finished her college career with 6,531 assists. This was a new record for the Pac-10 conference. Her career average of 14.56 assists per game was a new NCAA record. For the third year in a row, she was named to the AVCA All-American first team. She also made the All-Pac-10 first team.

Playing for Team USA

Courtney joined the U.S. national team in January 2007. That year, she played in the Pan American Games. She helped the U.S. team win a bronze medal.

In 2009, Courtney played in many games for the U.S. team. She played in the Pan American Cup and the FIVB World Grand Prix. She also played in the NORCECA Continental Championship.

From 2010 to 2012, Courtney had less playing time with the U.S. team. However, she helped them win a bronze medal in the 2010 Pan American Cup. She also won a bronze medal in the 2011 Pan American Games. In 2012, she helped the team win a gold medal in the FIVB World Grand Prix.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Courtney and the U.S. national team won the silver medal.

Courtney was part of the USA national team that won the gold medal at the 2014 World Championship. Her team beat China 3-1 in the final game.

In 2015, Courtney won a bronze medal at the FIVB Club World Championship. She played with a Swiss club team called Voléro Zürich.

Life After Playing Volleyball

After her playing career, Courtney Thompson started her own program. It is called Courtney Thompson's Mind.set Training. She also joined a company called Compete to Create. There, she works as an author and coach. She helps people with their mindset and performance.

Since 2019, Courtney has written many articles about being determined. She also writes about how athletes prepare. She coaches professionals on having a "High Performance Mindset." She also teaches courses on "Grit" and "Trust." Courtney worked with Dr. Michael Gervais when she was an athlete. Now, she works for his company, Compete to Create. She shares her experiences from her Olympic career to help others.

Coaching Career

On April 19, 2021, Stanford University announced that Courtney would join their coaching staff. She became an assistant coach for their women's volleyball team. She took the place of Alisha Glass Childress.

About Courtney's Life

Courtney Thompson was born in Bellevue, Washington. She lives in Kent, Washington. She was the top student, or valedictorian, at Kentlake High School. She has two brothers. Courtney is also a member of Athletes for Hope, a group that helps others.

In 2013, a documentary called "Court & Spark" was made about Courtney. It showed her journey to make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. The film talked about how hard it was to balance her personal life with being a world-class athlete.

Since 2017, Courtney has enjoyed running. She ran in the Boston Marathon and finished 30th. Her time was 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 41 seconds. In 2018, she completed a 35-mile ultra-marathon in Whistler, Canada.

Awards and Honors

College Awards

• 2006 Honda Sports Award for volleyball

Club Team Awards

• 2015–16 Brazilian Women's Volleyball Superliga – Gold medal, with Rexona Ades Rio
• 2015 FIVB Club World Championship – Bronze medal, with Voléro Zürich

National Team Awards

• 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix
• 2011 Pan-American Volleyball Cup
• 2011 Pan American Games
• 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix
• 2012 Summer Olympics
• 2013 Pan-American Volleyball Cup
• 2014 FIVB World Championship
• 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix
• 2015 FIVB Women's World Cup
• 2015 Women's NORCECA Volleyball Continental Championship
• 2016 Women's NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament
• 2016 FIVB World Grand Prix
• 2016 Summer Olympics