Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Clayton Valley Charter’s Brooke Townsend
Name: Brooke Townsend
School: Clayton Valley Charter High School
Grade: Senior
Sport: Tennis
Townsend has been successful on the tennis court and in the classroom during her four years at Clayton Valley Charter. She is wrapping up her fourth season on the Ugly Eagles tennis team after taking up tennis the summer before her freshman year at Oakhurst Country Club with lessons by former CVCHS tennis coach Rick Ortega.
She was on junior varsity her freshman year. Then, with lots of hard work and drive, Townsend made it on the varsity team for three years. She was captain of both JV and varsity, this year sharing the role with three senior teammates. Townsend started playing tennis so that she could be a part of a community during high school.
Her parents always encouraged her to participate in sports to meet new people, improve teamwork skills and challenge herself. Townsend had tried swimming and dancing, but once she started tennis she found a love for the sport that motivated her to work hard to excel. She found that hand-eye coordination came easily to her, which also contributed to her success.
Additionally, Townsend’s interest was encouraged by good friend Ella Potts, who was also open to trying tennis during the girl’s freshman year. Fast forward four years, both Townsend and Potts are varsity team captains. Townsend says that having Potts by her side for the entirety of her tennis career has been “monumental to my great experience with a high school sport.”
School Spirit
Townsend is known for her school spirit and says that her favorite part about being an Ugly Eagle is being able to represent Clayton Valley Charter through good sportsmanship, integrity and talent. As this tennis season comes to a close, Townsend feels that she contributed to the connection between all team members, which she believes was her greatest accomplishment this year.
Townsend’s current unweighted GPA stands at 4.0 and her weighted GPA is 4.6. She has been an active member of the Clayton Valley Public Service Academy, in addition to participating in the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, CVCHS Link Crew, 2022 Senior Women, CVCHS Lawn Chair Club and the Blue Crew. After she graduates, Townsend plans to attend Boise State University as an undeclared major going into college. She has expressed an interest in pediatrics and the medical field in general. Townsend cites her family for being “incredibly encouraging and supportive throughout her journey” She also thanks her CVCHS tennis coaches (Shane Velez, Kimi Watada, Doug Wisman and Sayed Anwar) and Ortega for helping her believe she’s capable of anything.
CVCHS student journalist Katherine Pugh wrote this Spotlight.
The Pioneer congratulates Brooke and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry. laceyandruzicka.com
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.
Katherine Pugh
Katherine Pugh is a junior at Clayton Valley Charter High School. She enjoys running on the CVCHS cross country team in the fall in addition to the track and field team in the spring. Pugh also swims recreationally for Oakhurst Country Club in the summer. She is a part of the CVCHS Engineering & Design academy and finished her sophomore year with a 4.33 GPA. She’s also excited to be a representative for CVCHS’s ASB leadership group during her junior year. In addition, Pugh works as a hostess at Ed’s Mudville Grill in Clayton. She is very excited to be writing the Student Athlete Spotlight for the Concord Clayton Pioneer.