Story by Shawn Smith (UMC Sports Information Director)
When the Elks National Hoop Shoot rolled into Thief River Falls when Kari Torkelson was eight years old, basketball wasn’t even on her radar. After winning a free throw competition at her elementary school, and for the city of Thief River Falls, her father knew it was time to install a basketball hoop at the house, and now into her 50s Torkelson still doesn’t want to put down a basketball.
She went on to compete for the University of Minnesota Crookston in basketball and volleyball from 1989-91, and she is a member of the Hall of Fame as part of the 1989-90 women’s basketball team. Torkelson went on to earn her Doctor of Optometry from the University of Indiana, and serves the Grand Forks metro area as an optometrist at Lifetime Vision. Torkelson has remained engaged with Minnesota Crookston, as one of the program’s biggest supporters in all sports, and is consistently seen on campus supporting various events. She has also been a very active member of the UMC Teambackers and the Campus Advancement and Advisory Board (CAAB).
Though she is decades removed from playing basketball competitively, she has continued to shoot consistently, and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris inspired her to try to compete at the highest level she could.
“Last summer when I was watching the Paris Olympics, I thought about something I could still do and compete at a high level,” Torkelson stated. “I knew I could still shoot free throws, so I did a Google search for competitions for Seniors who can shoot free throws, and I found the National Senior Games. I saw they were taking place in Des Moines, Iowa in 2025, which isn’t a far drive from Grand Forks, N.D,, so I went on the internet and filled out a form and paid my entry fee and decided to go.”
Torkelson put in the work to practice, and got herself mentally prepared to compete at the National Senior Games. She would typically go at least once a week to the YMCA in Grand Forks and shoot 100 free throws. Torkelson knew she had the mechanics down, since she had never stopped shooting free throws since she was eight years old, but she wanted to get the repetition, and mental aspects rehearsed.
“I tried to simulate the competition by having someone rebound for me,” Torkelson stated. “Shoutout to all of the people at Minnesota Crookston, who have helped, as I practiced the week before at the Wellness Center.”
The competition occurred August 2 at Prairie Trail Sports Complex in Ankeny, Iowa. Torkelson had the opportunity to compete against women ages 50-54, from across the country and from a lot of different backgrounds, including former WNBA player Deborah Carter, who competed for the Utah Starzz, and Washington Mystics.
“I felt pretty good that day,” Torkelson remarked. “We shot at 6 p.m. That morning I thought hard about how I was going to fill my time. So I went to the YMCA in Des Moines, and shot around, and there was a guy shooting three-pointers and I asked if I could shoot free throws. He said I had a nice shot, and I told him that I was competing in the National Senior Games. And so I started shooting and I shot 24/25 that morning, and he said ‘that will get you a medal of some type’. I had lunch, and went for a walk to clear my head because I was waiting all day to shoot. I tried to just stay hydrated and get prepared for the competition.
Torkelson was ready to test her free throw shooting prowess, and see if she could achieve her goal. “I got there and they had a sheet to sign in and they had your name and number 1-25 on it,” Torkelson said. “You handed it to a volunteer that was standing at the clipboard. You had three shots to warm up, and if you made the first one you had the option to start your 25 shots at that point. Or you could finish the three shots. I missed the first one, but then I made the second one and was ready to start. There were other people at these baskets, and it wasn’t quiet, there was talking and people were watching. All of a sudden it started to get quiet because they were seeing that I was making my shots. I could hear people talking behind me and I got super nervous, and my legs were shaking. I had someone rebounding for me and I missed shot 14. I stepped back and reorganized myself, and I got to shot 20. I just thought to myself just finish these last five and call it good.”
Torkelson wrapped up her round, and was told by a few people that she had accomplished a really good number, one lady who had volunteered all week at the National Senior Games told her she had only seen one other person hit 24-of-25 and it was one guy in the 80-plus category. It started to sink in, that Torkelson might just achieve her goal, and the Grand Forks resident did just that. She had been trying to keep her competing, a little bit on the down-low, so while her family knew, nobody was present at the competition. She wished in the moment of celebration she would have had her family there, so she knew the one call she had to make.
“Afterwards of course the first person I called was my Dad. And I told him I won and was a Gold medalist, and you could hear him getting emotional and I thought, this is pretty awesome. I wished I would have had family there, but at the same time I am glad I didn’t because it kept me from being as nervous as I probably would have been.”
Torkelson has been on cloud nine since Saturday evening, relishing the opportunity to compete, and reaching her goal of not only winning a medal, but taking home the Gold. Torkelson was one of just 26 athletes from North Dakota competing in the National Senior Games. She had a wonderful time meeting so many great people, and can’t wait to make a return trip to the National Senior Games in 2027.
“I can’t wipe the smile off my face,” Torkelson remarked. “I couldn’t sleep that night. I would just sit up and laugh at myself, and be like ‘I have a gold medal’. Now that I have done it, I was so inspired by the other people that were there, I just want to keep doing it as long as I can. To know you can keep doing it and stay active. There are people playing beach volleyball in their 80’s. I also think that a lot of people were competing for the sake of competing, and being able to be physically active at any age.”
Torkelson is proof you can continue chasing your dreams, and doing what you love at any age. So while she will continue to be a great fan of all things Golden Eagles, we can turn the tables and be a fan of Torkelson for the amazing accomplishment she has achieved, gold medalist.