Walking back onto the court for the second time, Brooklyn Andersen cheers and chants with her varsity teammates as she gets ready for another great season after her success during the fall on flag football.
Andersen was a part of the first ever flag team playing as the varsity quarterback for MCHS.
“I definitely didn’t think it was gonna be as big as it was,” Andersen says, “I feel like a lot of people put a lot of effort in towards it, and I definitely learned a lot. I met a lot of new people, and I learned a lot from experience.”
Athletes often follow what they grew up with and what their parents are involved with.
“My dad has always loved football, and I feel like when I first heard that it was gonna be a thing, I was really excited, and was looking forward to it, just because I feel like it’s something that isn’t really seen as much,” Andersen said.
Athletes will tend to learn as much as they can, in and out of their sports. For Andersen she learned how to be forgiving and patient with herself and others.
“I learned to be more patient,” Andersen says, “Coming into it I definitely would get upset with little mistakes. So having everybody there, being so supportive, it definitely meant a lot. I was able to learn a lot. I would set such high expectations for myself, just because I wanted the best in here.”
Andersen also explains how taking the good with the bad is a part of being a competing athlete.
“You just have to trust the process,” Andersen says, “Because sports is definitely a big thing to go into. But then I feel like all the environments that I’ve played in, there’s always been good things to look forward to, and everything is canceled out the bad. Like, I never really have any bad takeaways from any sports that I play, and I feel like they’re all definitely worth it, because the bonds you build from everything, and there’s so much to learn.”
After school Andersen is looking to do something within the police force or forensics while playing a sport in college.
Girls basketball coach John Lunkenheimer says that to be a varsity athlete one thing his players need to have is Competitiveness and the willingness to learn and put in the time. Which is all traits that Andersen has displayed throughout their seasons.
“I feel like as a player, I’m learning a lot,” Andersen said. “We don’t win as many, many games as the boys team but I feel like there’s a lot to learn from, especially as someone who’s younger, playing up in varsity. We only have two seniors on the team, but both of them, I feel like I learned a lot from them.”
Lunkenheimer describes Andersen as a fun and goofy teammate to have around.
Putting in hard work is extremely important to succeed in sports, especially at a higher level. But no matter what your age is or what grade level you are at, trusting the process and having patience is extremely important when being on the court.