Katie Hansen Goes For Gold By CLARK FAHRENTHOLD hy do we play sports? If you polled enough people, you could probably come up with over a thousand various reasons for why folks continue to play games. But perhaps most of all, you’d hear that it’s someone’s "love" or "passion" for their respective game that keeps them coming back for more. It’s that same love and passion that brought 03' Coronado High School graduate Katie Hansen back to the pool to help the San Diego Shores take home gold in the 2023 Fina World Women's Master Water Polo Championships. "It was one of the opportunities where I just had to go because it may not be something I ever get to do again,” noted Hansen. "I think a lot of things in my life so far have been fairly challenging, but it's another one of those things where I wanted to do it, and I made it happen." Like so many others in town, Hansen's water polo career got its start in junior high under then-head coach Randy Burgess. A staple member of the varsity team as an Islander, Hansen led her teams in scoring each year and was named Union-Tribune’s Most Valuable Player. Her final season in the green and white cap would help the Islanders win a CIF title, thanks to her double-OT goal vs. Bishop's High School.
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