Olympic bronze medalist turns to Kelowna actual property

True, there are no longer 75,000 cheering fans in a stadium when Emily Zurrer does something awesome.

But the former Olympic and FIFA World Cup soccer player now appreciates her more sedate accomplishments in Okanagan real estate.

“Definitely, the highs of elite sport are difficult to emulate in so-called regular jobs,” said Zurrer, 34, a new realtor with Century 21 Assurance Realty in Kelowna.

“But real estate is the first thing I found passion in again after soccer. I love to work with people and that’s a benefit in both team sports and real estate. The determination and work ethic I had as a soccer player never left me as I entered real estate.”

</who>Emily Zurrer is an Olympic and World Cup soccer player turned Century 21 realtor in Kelowna.” class=”img-responsive” src=”https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/Emily%20Zurrer%20( current%20photo).jpg” style=”margin: 5px;”/></p> <p>Zurrer, who was born in Vancouver and grew up in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, first started playing soccer on the playground with the boys when she was in kindergarten.</p> <p>She played minor and rep girls soccer in her youth and made Team BC at age 14.</p> <p>By age 16 she was on the under-19 national team and played in her first World Cup.</p> <p>In 2008, she went to her first of two Olympics, where the Canadian team finished 8th at the Beijing Games.</p> <p><img alt=Emily Zurrer represented Canada internationally for 13 years.” class=”img-responsive” src=”https://www.kelownanow.com/files/files/images/Emily%20Zurrer%20(soccer%202).jpg” style =”margin: 5px;”/>

She attended the University of Illinois on a soccer scholarship and graduated in 2009 with a degree in advertising.

Zurrer also played professionally for the Whitecaps in Vancouver, the US, Germany and Sweden.

At the 2011 FIFA World Cup, the Canadian team she was on finished dead last.

“We questioned our decisions, but with a new coach (John Herdman) we went to the 2012 London Olympics as the most connected the team had ever been and won the bronze medal,” said Zurrer.

“I have a lot of memories and highlights in soccer, but the 2012 Olympics are the pinnacle.”

</who>Emily Zurrer was a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team that won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and paced 8th at the Beijing Games in 2008.” class=”img-responsive” src=”https://www.kelownanow. com/files/files/images/Emily%20Zurrer%20(alone%20with%20bronze%20medal).jpg” style=”margin: 5px;”/></p> <p>The games are also bitter-sweet for lashings.</p> <p>She helped the team in all the lead up and qualifying for the Olympics, but tore her hamstring two weeks before and didn’t actually play in the Games.</p> <p>She was still a member of the team and won a bronze medal.</p> <p>Zurrer continued to play professionally and with the Canadian national team until after the 2015 FIFA World Cup.</p> <p>“When I retired I was definitely ready and excited for my next chapter,” she said.</p> <p>That included some worldwide travel, where she met her now-husband Taylor Atkinson, a helicopter maintenance engineer from Kelowna.</p> <p>They lived in Vancouver, where Zurrer had her first “real job” selling landing-page-building software for Unbounce.</p> <p>“It was a wonderful experience, but ultimately being in an office 9-5 everyday wasn’t for me,” she said.</p> <p>So the couple moved to Shanghai for two-and-a-half years where Atkinson worked on helicopters and she coached girls soccer and taught pilates and yoga.</p> <p>When it came time to move back to Canada, Atkinson’s home town of Kelowna won out.</p> <p>“We moved here in June 2020 and I love living and working in the Okanagan,” she said.</p> <p>The couple’s first big foray into real estate was buying and renovating an apartment complex with commercial space on the ground floor in Vernon.</p> <p>At the same time, Zurrer earned an interior design diploma and attained her realtor’s license.</p> <p>She joined Century 21 Assurance Realty in Kelowna in June.</p> <p>“I’m so passionate about helping both buyers and sellers. Everyone wants to live in the Okanagan,” she said.</p> <p>“I definitely see this as a long-term career.”</p> <p>Century 21 Assurance Realty Anna Carbone is a fan of Zurrer.</p> <p>“The shelf life of a professional athlete is a relatively short one and finding a career after retiring from sport can be a tough process for many former pros,” said Carbone.</p> <p>“I thought Emily’s story would be an interesting one for our local community, and other former pros, in light of Team Canada’s recent gold medal win in women’s soccer (at the Tokyo Olympics).”</p> <p></p> <p style=

Support local journalism by clicking here to make a one-time contribution or by subscribing for a small monthly fee. We appreciate your consideration and any contribution you can provide.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR