GAMES
RANKINGS
Alief Elsik's Alexandra Brooks
THE INFLUENCER: Elsik's Brooks Sweet and Salty
“I’ve been cheering since a little girl,” she said. “I love it and I could see myself doing it in college. Cheer definitely fits my personality.”
Her alter ego, however, comes out on the basketball court.
Jamey Wright (VYPE)
“I have followed my dad’s lead,” she said. “He played college basketball and really taught me the game. I remember playing at the YMCA as a kid and then I got more serious about the game. He has really motivated me to work on my craft.
“My high school coaches have been everything, also. They have encouraged me to keep going and my teammates just pick me up when I need it. I could see myself coaching in high school some day because of my experience here.”
When she’s not cheering, hooping or training, you can catch Brooks in the kitchen cooking her favorites...seafood and pancakes.
“My pancakes are really fluffy,” she laughed. “That is my specialty, but I can also cook some spicy crawfish and crab legs.”
Her cooking skills sort of define her personality...sweet and bouncy as a cheerleader and edgy and salty on the hardwood.
Alief Elsik's Chi Bui
ON THE FLY: Elsik's Bui fully-immersed in new sport, culture
“I just started swimming during my sophomore year,” he said. “It was something my cousin got me interested in and I found it to be really fun and competitive. I hadn’t really done it before so I was pretty awful to begin with. But, I’ve gotten better, so that has kept me in it up to this point.”
Picking up an unfamiliar sport is difficult enough as it is.
Doing so while acclimating to a new home and culture, as Bui has, is another ordeal, entirely.
“I actually moved here from my home country of Vietnam just two years ago,” said Bui. “Just like swimming, I’m still adjusting to a new lifestyle. The hardest part has been the language barrier. Growing in this different environment hasn’t always been easy, but I think I’m finally beginning to get used to it.”
Of course, living in the U.S. does have its benefits.
Doug Brown (VYPE)
“The best part of living here is, definitely, the food. Buc-ees is my favorite so far, but I also like Chipotle and Whataburger. There’s so much to choose from and I’ve really grown to appreciate the variety.”
Now that he’s been properly introduced to the American way, Bui will look to continue honing his skills in the water, entering his junior year.
“The main goal for me now is to try to make Regionals,” he said. “I wasn’t able to get there last year. But, I know that if I can keep improving and learning, then I can at least do well in the district in order to potentially reach that level.”
Time will tell if Bui can accomplish that feat. However, the progress he’s made as a student-athlete and immigrant is nothing short of remarkable.