'Shine on the street and on the ice'

SANDPOINT — There will be thousands of players on 96 ice hockey teams taking to the ice during the upcoming World Police and Fire Games, starting Aug. 1 in Belfast, Ireland.

It’s a safe bet few are more brave than Bonner County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputy Kimberly Harper, a seasoned veteran of the games who will be skating for the Las Vegas Guns and Hoses team.

While the games are about fostering camaraderie and respect, there will be no shortage of full-contact checking. Suffice it to say, the other teams are usually pretty surprised to see Harper skate onto the ice, at least until the puck drops.

“I’m usually the only girl,” says Harper, who has played in similar events in Austria, Switzerland and Australia. “In Europe, they weren’t going to let me play, I had to lobby. They didn’t think a woman would want to play.”

Harper is now a familiar face at the annual games, a sort of Olympics which features 56 different sports played by former and current police and firemen from around the world. The 44 year-old says the only time she ever really travels is for the games.

She plays hockey about once a week in Post Falls or Spokane, and loves the adrenaline rush of being on the ice. She’s also earned the respect of a lot of fellow competitors at the annual games, where she mixes it up with some high level male players in a notoriously physical sport.

“People are quite surprised, I can dish it out and I can take it,” says Harper, who has been in Sandpoint for three years and with the BCSO for one. “You’ve got to hold your own.”

Part of the fun of attending the games is getting to see the world and myriad cultures. Harper raved about how clean Switzerland was, and how friendly and welcoming the Australians were to Americans.

Harper began playing roller hockey on the beach in Santa Monica, California, and first played ice hockey in 2000 while getting ready for a police tournament. It was love at first skate, and she’s been addicted to the sport ever since.

Her Las Vegas-based team will play five games against five different teams during the two-week games. She says hockey and her job as a patrol deputy share some common bonds, namely teamwork and camaraderie.

“It’s why I love being a police officer and playing sports,” describes Harper. “There’s something special about that bond you form.”

Harper is hoping to bring back a medal to hang in the BCSO lobby. While a medal would be great, fellow night shift patrol officer Brandon Littrell says the other deputies are already extremely proud of Harper, win,  lose or draw.

Littrell says Harper has an obvious passion for both law enforcement and hockey, and her excellence in both stems from great inner-qualities.

“She has a positive spirit, drive and determination, and a natural ability to function as part of a team,” says Littrell. “It’s obvious to me these characteristics have allowed her to shine on the street and on the ice.”