Meet NH Rebellion’s QB who made the All-American team as a 42-year-old rookie

Part of a series profiling NH Rebellion players.

Kim Bourque, a wife and mother of two living out of Hampstead, elected to play tackle football for the first time in 2023. When she first signed on to the team, she was 41. With her birthday in July, she turned 42 by the time she went to the WFA’s All-American game at the end of July 2023.

She was one of four quarterbacks chosen to represent the third-team national group, along with Angela Mason from the Cincinnati Cougars, Eden Messemer from the NY Knockout, and Marcelina Chavez from the Pittsburgh Passion. Bourque was one of two NH Rebellion players selected to be WFA All-Americans, along with WR/RB/KR Selina Collins.

Bourque grew up in Georgetown, MA, but moved to New Hampshire over 20 years ago. Now, she has two adult children, both of whom are in college playing collegiate lacrosse.

Prior to joining the Rebellion, Bourque played Division-I ice hockey. Then, in 2014, she graduated from Merrimack college at the age 31. Her intent was to become a teacher, having spent most of her life in the childcare industry from which she retired in September 2023. Now, she’s taken a career change to work for the Groveland, MA water department- roughly 22-minute drive south of her house.

The team’s regular practices site in Hampton is also a 34 minute drive to the east for her. In order to keep working and keep playing for the Rebellion, Bourque spends a great deal of time on the road.

“Nannying was a lot of long hours, not a lot of time off,” Bourque said. “It’s nice to have a job where I get paid time off and benefits and all that good stuff.”

When she’s not slinging a football around a sports field or attending lacrosse games, Bourque spends her time hanging out at the lake near where she lives. Hers is a life that would otherwise be ordinary were it not for her contributions to women’s football.

“Last year was my first season,” Bourque said. “I’ve been friends with Kristin Albert (NH Rebellion Guard) for a long time. She was playing, and she kept trying to get me to play but my kid’s game schedules and sports schedules were too busy for me to be able to commit to a team.”

She finally agreed to play for the Rebellion when she learned that the team’s games were on Saturday, instead of Sunday, where her children had their games. Scheduling and timing kept her away, rather than a lack of athleticism or ability.

“I loved watching football growing up,” Bourque said. “My husband’s a big football guy. My nephew plays football. He’s also a quarterback. I like being in a key role position. It comes kind of naturally since I grew up playing team sports my whole life. It wasn’t anything different from high school or college sports. When I make a commitment, I jump in with both feet.”

Winter Trabex is a freelance writer from Manchester. She can be reached at wtrabex@gmail.com