It’s true, there are no more 75,000 cheering fans in a stadium when Emily Zurrer does something great.

But the former Olympic and FIFA World Cup soccer player is now paying tribute to her quieter performances in Okanagan properties.

“It is definitely difficult to mimic the heights of elite sport in what are called regular jobs,” said Zurrer, 34, a new broker at Century 21 Assurance Realty in Kelowna.

“But real estate is the first thing I found my passion for after football. I love working with people and that is beneficial in both team sports and real estate. The determination and work ethic that I had as a footballer never left me the way I entered real estate. “

</who>Emily Zurrer is an Olympic and World Cup soccer player who turned 21st century 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 Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, started playing soccer with the boys on the playground in kindergarten.</p> <p>She played little and rep girl soccer in her teens and joined Team BC at the age of 14.</p> <p>At the age of 16 she was in the U19 national team and played in her first world championship.</p> <p>In 2008 she went to her first of two Olympic Games, in which 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 with a degree in advertising in 2009.

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

At the 2011 FIFA World Cup, the Canadian team they played came last.

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

“I have a lot of memories and high points in football, but the 2012 Olympics are the high point.”

</who>Emily Zurrer was a member of the Canadian women’s soccer team, which won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and was 8th at the 2008 Beijing Games. “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 bittersweet for lashers too.</p> <p>She helped the team with all of the preparation and qualification for the Olympics, but two weeks earlier she tore her hamstring and did not 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>This included some worldwide trips where she met her now husband Taylor Atkinson, a helicopter maintenance engineer from Kelowna.</p> <p>They lived in Vancouver, where Zurrer got her first “real job” selling landing page building software for Unbounce.</p> <p>“It was a wonderful experience, but in the end, being in the office from 9 am to 5 am every day was not for me,” she said.</p> <p>The couple moved to Shanghai for two and a half years, where Atkinson worked on helicopters, trained girls’ soccer, and taught Pilates and yoga.</p> <p>When it was time to return to Canada, Atkinson’s hometown of Kelowna prevailed.</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 major foray into real estate was the purchase and renovation of an apartment complex with commercial space on the ground floor in Vernon.</p> <p>At the same time, Zurrer acquired an interior design diploma and acquired her broker license.</p> <p>She joined Century 21 Assurance Realty in Kelowna in June.</p> <p>“I’m so passionate about helping 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 relatively short and finding a career after retiring from the sport can be a difficult process for many former professionals,” said Carbone.</p> <p>“I thought Emily’s story would be interesting to our local community and other ex-pros given Team Canada’s recent gold medal in women’s football (at the Tokyo Olympics).”</p> <p></p> <p style=

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