Senior Spotlight: Brooklen Steiger lives life with no fear

Editor’s note: This article is part of a recurring series on local high school athletes who had their seasons cut short or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SANDPOINT — Brooklen Steiger entered this season as a two-time all-league selection at outfielder and was destined for a third straight year on the team in 2020.

But life threw her and the rest of the senior class a curveball and she won’t forget the moment she learned her final season on the SHS softball team was canceled.

“It was literally the worst day ever,” she said. “I can’t even explain how I felt because I literally just laid in bed all day, hung around the house and did nothing because I just wanted to be on the field.”

Softball became the one thing Brooklen most looked forward to each year of high school. Although, she didn’t start playing softball until eighth grade.

Brooklen did T-ball when she was younger but she put a majority of her time into soccer, whether it was Sandpoint Strikers FC or the middle school team.

In eighth grade, Brooklen decided to give softball a shot so she could play alongside some of her closest friends. Brooklen immediately enjoyed every second she spent on the field and playing the sport was no longer just about being with friends. It became something she was willing to dedicate herself too.

Brooklen kept playing soccer through her sophomore year but then she gave it up because of how strong her passion for softball was. Brooklen, her mom, Brandy, and her dad, Glen, aren’t entirely sure what hooked the senior on softball but one thing is clear — Brooklen embraces competition.

“[Sports] have been a really big part of her life,” Glen said. “She’s always played some sort of sport.”

Brandy said Brooklen has never shied away from trying new things and she wasn’t surprised when her daughter started to love playing softball.

“For her to give all that up and go to softball, there was just something there that drove her inside,” Brandy said.

Brooklen was also a member of the girls basketball team throughout her high school career. Sandpoint softball head coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams said she watched Brooklen on the basketball court as a freshman and saw her athletic ability on full display. Once softball season rolled around, Hawkins-Williams had high expectations for Brooklen and she delivered.

“I just feel like our program was so incredibly blessed to have her coming in as freshman,” Hawkins-Williams said.

Brooklen got called up to varsity with a couple weeks left in her freshman year and helped the Bulldogs claim a third place finish at state.

After being a star outfielder as a sophomore and junior, Hawkins-Williams was expecting Brooklen to step in as the starting catcher this season and shine due to her maturity and experience.

“One thing that I love about Brooklen is she is aggressive,” Hawkins-Williams said. “It can be difficult sometimes to motivate and build confidence in catchers to throw the ball and pick runners off, but she never hesitated. That was her greatest attribute as a catcher is she never played afraid.”

Brooklen’s fiery attitude was apparent every time she stepped foot on the field competition. That aggressiveness allowed her to contribute to the senior class powderpuff football team that completed a four year sweep of the annual event this year.

Being a member of that powderpuff team, making multiple trips to state on the basketball team and having an opportunity to work with coaches and teammates that pushed her every day on the softball field is what Brooklen will remember most about her career at SHS.

Brooklen said being a member of the softball program has helped shape her into the person she is today.

“It’s definitely taught me to always be myself and always do my best at everything I do,” she said.

Hawkins-Williams said Brooklen was one of the players that got along with everybody on the team and she never let distractions outside the team impact her play on the field. Brooklen was a gamer, she held her teammates accountable and she had everything Hawkins-Williams looks for in her players.

Hawkins-Williams shared a funny story that kind of encompasses the impact Brooklen had on the program. When Brooklen joined the team as a freshman, assistant JV coach Jeff Free couldn’t remember Brooklen’s first name but he knew it was a city in the U.S. So he called her Chicago, Miami and other city names and the Miami one stuck. Hawkins-Williams said a smile always came to Brooklen’s face whenever she heard that name in the dugout or at practice.

Brooklen has been spending most of her quarantine doing homework and bass fishing. Brooklen has enjoyed the extra time with her siblings but every once in a while she sees her softball jersey hanging in her room and a rush of emotion comes over her as she thinks about what could have been.

Brooklen is heading to Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay to study criminal justice and law enforcement after graduating from SHS. She also hasn’t ruled out playing for the school’s softball team if the opportunity presents itself.

Right now, Brooklen is looking at being a police officer in the future which isn’t a surprise given how many of her relatives are cops.

“Maybe it’s just something in us,” Brandy said about the family’s interest in the profession.

Nothing fazes Brooklen and her parents can’t wait to see where her personality and independence takes her.

“We’ve just always been proud that she gives her all and she doesn’t really give up even when things are bad ... she just always sees it through,” Brandy said.

“She puts her heart and soul into everything she does,” Glen added.

In her own words: Brooklen Steiger

“I want to thank all of my coaches and teachers through the years for guiding and teaching me to work hard and reach goals. I want to thank Anna Butler Cox for being the best coach in little league baseball and shaping me to love the sport. I want to thank Gary Cessna for all the tips and being my encourager. Thank you to my high school softball coaches for believing in me and pushing me to be the best version of myself on and off the field. Thank you to coach Liz for recognizing my dedication and giving me the ability to play varsity softball all four years of high school.

Although I am disappointed about missing my last softball season and many senior moments, I am thankful for many years of memories I have made from T-ball to soccer, strikers, basketball, powderpuff and softball. Thank you to my teammates and friends on and off the field for making my life the BEST!

Lastly I want to thank my parents for always telling me to “rub some dirt on it and get back out there.” They have taught me strength, endurance and to give it my all no matter what.”