B.C. TikTok star puts social media on hold to pursue soccer dream in Kamloops
CBC
Kyle Hansen from Burnaby, B.C., has more than a million followers on TikTok, but says he will step away from social media to play university-level soccer.
Early this month, Hansen, 19, committed to join the WolfPack men's soccer team at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). He will arrive in Kamloops on April 1.
The six-foot-three-inch striker is currently playing with a Vancouver soccer club, Columbus FC, and previously attended the Vancouver Whitecaps FC residency training program.
International soccer star Alphonso Davies lived with the Hansen family when he also trained at the Whitecaps Caps residency program. He's now a member of the German soccer club Bayern Munich and the Canadian national soccer team.
Hansen spoke to host Shelley Joyce on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops about his decision to join the WolfPack and quit social media, and his friendship with Davies.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
What appealed to you about the Kamloops TRU team?
I think just the whole family aspect that they have — I went there about a month ago, and it just felt like a family there.
Do you see yourself being a good fit for this team?
Yes, I think I'll fit in very well. I have a couple of friends on the team, so I hope we get to play together and it'll be really fun.
They call you a social media influencer. How did you get to that point?
I started when COVID just happened, and we all had to quarantine. During the quarantine, that's when I started making videos, and that blew up from there. Then I just kept doing it while having to be in quarantine.
You ended up with more than a million followers on TikTok.
I know. That's crazy. I did not expect that.
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