Sophomore Lady Archer, Brooke Valeroy, grew up with sports as a part of her family
By: DAVID KLOECKENER
-Senior Staff Photographer-
As a 10-year-old, Brooke Valeroy’s older brother dressed her up in his hockey pads: elbow, shoulder and shin guards — everything except for his helmet. That was too big to fit properly on her head.
Her brother, who was five years older, stood back several feet and took a slap shot.
“My brother was an amazing hockey player,” Valeroy said. “Of all the places to hit me, it hit me square in the forehead. All I remember is him coming up to me [saying] ‘Do not tell mom. Do not tell mom. Do not tell on me. I am sorry.’”
Being the youngest of three kids in her family, Valeroy recalls that her older brother and sister would use their seniority to their advantage.
“They took out everything on me and I was always the one doing the dirty work,” Valeroy said.
Valeroy, now a sophomore midfielder for the Lady Archer soccer team, has helped lead the Lady Archers to a Region XVI Title this season and hopes to continue the season’s ride into the national tournament. Her passion for sports stems from her family. More times than not, childhood memories center around sports and bonding time spent with her brother.
“I have two older siblings and we were just born and raised on soccer. My dad coached it,” Valeroy said. “My brother is mainly the one that would, as a kid, make me stay outside and play soccer with him. We both loved the sport so he would make me run hills with him and work on soccer skills.”
While running up and down hills helped to strengthen her lower body and stamina, Valeroy also learned a unique facet of her soccer game about the same time as the hockey incident — the flip throw-in.
“I was in the fourth grade and I went to a soccer tournament and saw someone do it.” Valeroy said. “It only took about a month to learn.”
Valeroy said her first try with the throw-in was with a bouncy ball inside the house, but “it did not go well.” Valeroy also credits gymnastics with helping her improve her throw-ins.
While a member of her high school team from Saxony Lutheran High School, Valeroy led her Crusaders with 13 goals and had 3 assists. Since joining the Lady Archers in the fall of 2011, Valeroy has continued to develop her soccer skills according to STLCC head coach, Juergen Huettner.
“She has fine-tuned her flip throw,” Huettner said. “I think she has just become more dangerous since she has been here.”
Since Valeroy has been around the game of soccer her entire life, her experience is invaluable. She has shown that she is able to play the game of soccer at a high level and be a leader on and off the field according to STLCC assistant coach Alex McDonald.
“She’s taken a strong leadership role for us,” McDonald said. “Players follow her based on her actions on the field — her hustle, determination and work ethic.”
The 2012 Lady Archer soccer campaign has been different than last season according to Valeroy. Aside from the win and loss record and the steps closer to a national tournament birth, the camaraderie of the team has strengthened. With this being her last year in an Archer uniform, Valeroy hopes the season continues as long as it can.
“This season is so much more exciting than last season and the girls are amazing,” Valeroy said. “All of the girls on this team [get along] so [well together]. We mix so well. I am seriously going to be sad when I have to leave them and the coaches are the best.”
