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STILLWATER — Stillwater High School’s 11th-grade triathlete is inspired by real-world dedication and applies it to her game.
Brooke Picket is a 16-year-old student-athlete at Stillwater High School. She participates on her schools track and field team and is one of the captains of her varsity basketball and soccer team.
Picket began playing soccer at the very young age of two years old.
“We’re a heavy sports family. I have two younger brothers who are both involved with several different sports,” said Pickett.
Picket would say that her biggest supporters without a doubt are her parents. Their presence at her games and tournaments mean a lot to her.
“Just, in general, they’ve always been so supportive. When we could be going on a vacation they’re spending money towards me going to play at a tournament, paying for hotels, paying for soccer tournaments and stuff like that,” said Picket. “They’ve always been so giving in letting me follow my dreams.”
The sacrifices that the adults in her life make for her soccer career certainly do not go unnoticed. Christine Ihnacoyla, her soccer coach is her biggest inspiration.
“She has two kids at home and throughout the seasons she always dedicates her time to us when she could’ve been out with her kids…I think she missed out on a lot of opportunities with her kids to help us become better. She was really inspiring.”
Having two prominent examples of what it means to balance athletics, work, and home life, Picket has become skilled at balancing her scheduled practices, personal practices, school work and being a team captain. As a captain, she takes on the approach of encouraging her teammates to not be discouraged by a bad play and to use the let down as motivation to try harder.
The effort of her dedication, support systems, and team's work, coming together to show great results is her favorite part of being an athlete.
“With practices, you’re working so hard with your team, then a game comes and you finally get to achieve your goal," said Picket. "Even if you don’t win, it’s really cool to see you and your team succeed."
