Local Sports Profile: Kelsie Rivard
- I
- May 8
- 4 min read
Hardwick, VT - The success of Hazen’s High School girls’ basketball team was built on talent, teamwork, and community. But more was needed to usher in the Wildcat’s VPA Division III championship victory; Kelsie Rivard tied it all together with two game-winning free throws to close the season.
Rivard, junior, is Times Argus Player of the Year. Excelling does not mean leaving the rest behind. Rivard raises the bar, and the community rises with her.
“When I was a water girl on the team, I used to be such a fan girl for all these girls. I grew up watching my brother (Tyler Rivard) and Caitlyn Davidson, I just wanted to be able to achieve and do what they did. To be in the other position of it - it’s amazing,” Rivard said.
Rivard and her fellow Wildcat, Taylor Thompson, were in sixth grade as they ensured their elders stay hydrated. This was an opportunity to be involved with those they literally looked up to,
“When we won our championships, all these kids were lining up for our team and me to sign their shirts,” Rivard continued, “and they just keep wearing them.”
Basketball and its fandom are integral parts of the Hardwick community. Beyond spectating, Rivard described how opportunities are abundant to her community to be involved in basketball.
“Our youth athletes are involved with AAU, our clinics, Saturday trainings…” Rivard said, crediting head coach, Randy Lumsden, and the boys’ coach, Aaron Hill, “put so much time into it.”
Coach Hill puts some summer time into an annual basketball camp to get young athletes involved and develop their skills.
“The high school athletes help run it, and it’s a week long camp. I grew up doing that, and now I’m one of the helpers too,” said Rivard.
As a helper, Rivard is able to pass all her knowledge to anyone who will listen. To get to this point, Rivard needed helpers too.
“Coaching her is very easy,” Coach Lumsden began, “she’s determined, a great athlete, and got great basketball IQ. She just keeps becoming more and more polished.”
Sometimes her IQ shows in subtle ways on the court.
“She sees the floor really well, always looking to pass ahead in transition,” said Lumsden. “She is able to know where the ball is going and actually averaged five steals a game this year.”
When necessary, Rivard’s play is bold.
“If a night was to stand out, it was in Randolph when she scored 43 and broke the school record of 40,” Lumsden said.
But Rivard is not confined to one role.
“If we’re playing a team where we feel like it’s a better matchup for her in the post, we can,” Lumsden said. “She’s just a utility player.”
Rivard agrees.
“I think my inside game is definitely the strongest and most efficient,” she said. “But if that’s not working, I’ll go anywhere else I need to. I’m capable of playing wherever.”
That adaptability is critical during stretches when defenses key in on Rivard.
“She’s seeing double teams,” Lumsden said. “Learning how to use her teammates and even the opposing team to get herself open and create better looks off the ball.”
Lumsden has known Rivard for years. His daughter, Mya Lumsden, has shared classes, friendships, barbecues and teams with Rivard throughout grade school.
“She is always encouraging, uplifting, but also not afraid to tell [the team] when we need to pick things up. She’s always delegating on the floor, helping players be in the right position,” said Lumsden.
Lumsden graduated from Hazen in 2000, and has remained an active member in the community.
“This year especially, she’s matured as a leader,” Lumsden said. “It’s hard when you’re super young to understand the importance of the team first. This year, I felt like the team first mentality really was shining through.”
That team-first mentality doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
“When you have a good group of kids that are passionate about basketball and love each other, that means quite a bit too,” Lumsden said.
In Hardwick, the team does not return quietly after a win.
“The biggest one is when we’re on the bus back,” Rivard said. “We hang out the window and follow the fire trucks and the police officers and the ambulance. They escort us up to the school and everybody’s on the side of the streets.”
Celebration in Hardwick is not choreographed. People enjoy being a part of the team.
“Once we get to the school, we ring a bell for Finn Rooney,” said Rivard.
This tradition began in memoriam, but its ring represents all the energy that went into something worth ringing for. The bell sounds across the valley and allows anyone to be included in, this time, a big win.
“You can’t get more out of it then you put into it,” Rivard said regarding basketball.
But Rivard’s point can be applied outside the sport. Energy is conserved when one community member cheers another. In Hardwick, that energy gets the opportunity to move in circles, building momentum that reinvest in each other.
“It’s just so rewarding to always be there for people,” Rivard said. “Our community shows up for the student athletes, and it means the world to be able to give back in the same way.”
The community put time into their neighbor, friend, daughter, sibling and student. Today, Rivard embodies that connection between player and place.
In Hardwick, success is measured by the volume of locals cheering, not by points. The more care everyone gives their pupils, the better examples they will become for the next generation of Wildcats waiting their turn for a chance to play.
Times Argus Player of the Year, Kelsie Rivard’s, story is now a part of the evolution of this hometown. Each game, clinic and celebratory ring reminds Hardwick that effort, leadership, and community elevate everyone in range.
As long as athletes like Rivard push themselves and others, that ripple will extend far beyond the hills of Hardwick.
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