Cora Thomas fought her way to a 2022 National Silver Gloves Championship.

Charlie Thomas, Cora Thomas, and trainer Hans Olson pose for a pre-fight photo in 2022.

Cora Thomas (1) runs to home after hitting a home run in the BFA-St. Albans Comets' semifinal win against Essex in 2022. 

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Cora Thomas fought her way to a 2022 National Silver Gloves Championship.

BFA-St. Albans student-athlete Cora Thomas has seen success at every level of her athletic career from Little League to the 2022 Silver Gloves Championship. Thomas holds a Comet softball title (2021) a trip to Little League softball regionals, and a win in the 119 pound division at age 15/16 to win the 2022 Silver Gloves National Championship.

Q&A with Cora Thomas

How did you begin competing in the sports you love? When I was young, I played every sport possible, so I could get a gauge of what I liked. I'm a very competitive person, and I knew I needed to challenge myself to be the best athlete I could be. I did private lessons for hitting and pitching and played travel ball in seventh grade. Candace Dasaro got me into pitching because she wanted Ruby and me to be the starters in Little League. I went to the 10-year-old Little League Softball Regional Tournament in Pennsylvania, which was a powerful learning experience for me. It was a checkpoint that made me realize that hard work could take me places. That made me work harder because I knew there were opportunities. That experience allowed me to set goals for myself that may seem impossible at the moment, but to keep trying. And that's my mindset in every sport. 

Cora Thomas (1) runs to home after hitting a home run in the BFA-St. Albans Comets' semifinal win against Essex in 2022. 

How did you start boxing? My sister and I are complete opposites. My mom wanted us to do something together and signed us up for boxing classes. I loved it, and my sister hated it. My trainer told me I had to move to the adult class because I punched too hard. Hans Olsen and Luke Tatro trained me with the adult class. I was in my first competition within six months and have been training ever since. 

What has it been like competing in the Silver Gloves Nationals?  When I started boxing, that was the tournament everyone wanted to get into. To qualify for Nationals, you had to have five fights. My good friends Ricki and Randi Griffith always go to the Silver Gloves Tournament. I've always looked up to them, and knowing they were going to the tournament motivated me even more. I've been to Nationals twice before 2022, and lost in the finals. As disappointed as I was, it was a great learning experience and drove me to train even harder. I knew what I was capable of, and I knew I could win. I've never trained harder for anything; I wanted this so badly. I wanted to prove to myself and others that I could do it. I especially wanted to win for my coaches to highlight their coaching. I was very happy to win it this year with them. 

Charlie Thomas, Cora Thomas, and trainer Hans Olson pose for a pre-fight photo in 2022.

Does your mindset change with the sports you play? As different as softball and boxing are, my mindset has stayed the same: if you put your mind to it, you could do it. In both sports, I never view my losses as losses; I view them as learning opportunities and opportunities to improve. I've never viewed a loss as a bad thing, and I'm proud to be able to say that. My losses have driven me to become the athlete and person I am today. Having role models who've displayed that for me from a young age has helped me get where I am today. I think daily about a quote from Mohamad Ali: "I hated every minute of training, but suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion." It goes for everything from athletics to academics. 

What do you focus on to reach your goals? There are steps that have to be taken; one of those steps is to get to know your team. That team bond is crucial. Knowing you have a whole team behind you is really important. Next is training. If you don't train, you can't expect to be successful. So putting in the work is everything to me. One goal I have for myself is never to give up or bail on my teammates. Everyone is trying to get somewhere, and you could be the person to help them get there. 

What are your long-term goals? I want to join the military, and I understand that it's mentally and physically challenging and takes a lot of hard work. I know I need to push myself to get where I want to. You can't stop when it gets challenging; you have to push through it. It's like weight lifting--you don't stop when the set gets hard. You're trying to grow your muscles. I'm always setting goals and pushing toward that goal. If I set 20 reps, I'm getting 20 reps. I know I can train myself to push through things, and that's the mindset I'll need in the military. If I train that way, I know I'll be successful in that field. 

If you had to choose two influential people in your life, who would they be? Mohamad Ali's mindset and how he deals with things have made him someone I've always looked up to. His story is super inspirational, and I connect with his sayings and what he does. My parents, Charlie and Kim, have been inspirational; they raised me into the person I am today and challenged me. 

Thank yous: I want to thank everyone who's helped me become the athlete and person I am today, Hans and Luke, especially. I've met so many people who've helped me and played a big part in my success, and I thank them for that. 

Ruthie Laroche is the sports editor for the Saint Albans Messenger. Contact her at rlaroche@orourkemediagroup.com

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Thank you for taking part in our commenting section. We want this platform to be a safe and inclusive community where you can freely share ideas and opinions. Comments that are racist, hateful, sexist or attack others won’t be allowed. Just keep it clean. Do these things or you could be banned: • Don’t name-call and attack other commenters. If you’d be in hot water for saying it in public, then don’t say it here. • Don’t spam us. • Don’t attack our journalists. Let’s make this a platform that is educational, enjoyable and insightful. Email questions to bhigdon@orourkemediagroup.com.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email.  Signup today!

Get a selection of the Messenger's best reporting direct to your inbox each and every morning.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

St Albans Messenger is a twice-weekly newspaper established in 1861 covering Franklin County, Vermont. Samessenger.com publishes new content daily. Our beat reporters are on the ground covering local government, schools, sports, business and culture.