Incoming Tech High School freshman Taylor Holm has not had a minute to rest this summer, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Holm, who as an eighth grader lettered in soccer, hockey and track and field, has been balancing all three sports this summer.

“On Mondays, I drive down to the cities to practice with (former Olympic hockey player) Winny Brodt in the morning,” Holm said. “I also go to travel soccer practice in the afternoon, then go home and play with our new puppy, then go for a run of two or three miles….nothing big.

On Tuesdays, Holm lifts weights in the morning, then goes to high school hockey practice before heading back to soccer. The schedule then repeats itself every other day.

It’s a lifestyle the future Tiger fully embraces.

“I go all the time,” Holm said with a big smile. “We can sleep at night, my parents and family and friends have always pushed me to play sports and I’ve always loved it.”

This summer, Holm earned a trip to North Carolina for the USATF National Junior Olympics for a second straight year. She finished in fifth place in the 800 meter run at the Midwest Championships to qualify for nationals.

Holm competed against other runners born in 2002 and 2003, including some runners who will be entering their junior year this upcoming school year.

“Last year was my first year of varsity track, so I didn’t really explore a lot of races,” Holm explained. “This year I expanded my horizons and started running the 800 and the 200, and I was lucky enough to make it to nationals.

“We have a lot of great runners in St. Cloud, but just to see the diversity and all the different times (at nationals) was mind blowing,” Holm said.

Holm also played on the second line as a forward for the St. Cloud Icebreakers this past year as a middle schooler, scoring one goal and charting four assists in 25 regular season games.

She said she is looking forward to the upcoming hockey season under new coach Mark Chamernick, who takes over the program after Nick Thibault stepped down to coach the Bennies at the College of St. Benedict.

“I’m gonna miss coach Nick,” Holm said with a smile. “He was a great coach and I wish him the best at St. Ben’s.

“Cham is also an amazing guy and he’s going to do great things,” Holm said. “Hopefully we can have a great season.”

Holm said while it is still a few years away, she wants to play college sports someday, while also listing making the Olympic team as a “big goal.”

Although she is not sure which sport she will choose, she knows what it will take to get there.

“It will be really hard, a lot of time, effort and commitment,” Holm explained. “Staying on the daily grind, no days off, and just keep pushing.

“When you get distractions, they just get in the way, so you just surround yourself with people that help you get there and create positive energy,” Holm said. “My coaches know where I want to be and put me on a track to get there, and it’s great.”

Holm lists US soccer players Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, track stars Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix, the USA women’s hockey team and the upperclassmen she works with as some of her biggest influences.

“The girls above me are really great people who really help me out,” Holm said. “Especially with the day-to-day things, they are definitely there.”

She says she takes the responsibility of potentially being a role model herself one day very seriously.

“It’s amazing, it means the world to me to help them out like that,” Holm said. “To help someone out like that, to get them into sports as much as I am and give them the opportunity to go places, means the world to me.”

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