BILLINGS — Brooklyn Pierce loves finding small treasures. Or big ones.
"I like to go thrifting, finding anything because you never know what you're going to get there. My dream item is finding a Carhartt jacket, like a big Carhartt jacket," Pierce said with a laugh.
She has already found big high school success. Pierce shined as an all-state player in both basketball and volleyball and was part of state champion teams in both sports. She also earned academic all-state recognition four years in a row.
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All of it was earned despite battling hip tendinitis, a broken hand during basketball, and a torn ACL during her senior volleyball season.
"I think it also just taught me, like, how tangible sports are and how quickly they can be taken away from me," Pierce said.
That perseverance helped pave the way to a volleyball scholarship to the University of Montana.
"I'm really excited to go to Missoula. A little too fired up that I kind of forgot about the school portion of it. I'm not 100 percent sure what I want to do … yet," Pierce admitted with a laugh.
Options are on the table, especially given the variety of jobs Pierce has already worked.
"I started out lawn mowing and I've been doing that for a while. And then I worked at Dehler Park at the Mustangs games. I work at Body Rock, still — it's a Pilates studio — and then I also work at Soda Station, recently," Pierce said.
Those steady paychecks should be enough to keep thrifting. Who knows? That dream Carhartt jacket might just be one rack away.
The Midland Roundtable athlete of the year awards banquet is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center.
