I want young girls to know when starting their sports career is that people are going to want you to fail. They don’t want to see you succeed. You have to put in the work to prove them wrong and show what you can do.  If you put your mind to something and work hard it will pay off and people will notice. Don’t lose sight of what you want. You are the only one that can affect the outcome.”

Emily Brenner

Emily Brenner, a recent Stanley-Boyd high school graduate, has had a busy and rewarding sports career for the past four years, participating in volleyball, softball, and basketball during her freshman and sophomore year. Her hard work, determination and love for the game has helped her earn her way into Stanley-Boyd sports history.  Named All Conference Player of the Year for volleyball, her sport of choice, Brenner was also named to All-Conference First Team and All-State First Team, in addition to accomplishing the incredible feat of 1,000 kills her senior year. Brenner was recently named Co-Western Cloverbelt Conference Player of the Year for softball and was named to All-District First Team and All-State First Team as well. Her senior year she had a .566 batting average along with ten home runs and she participated in the All-Star Game held in Wisconsin Dells this past June, a once in a lifetime experience that Brenner was honored to be a part of.

“I was super excited to meet everyone, however I was a little nervous not knowing anyone. It was such a cool experience, and I was actually playing outfield most of the time which was definitely not something I was used to but proud that I did it,” Brenner explains.

 For any athlete, these are major career accomplishments, but Brenner views them differently.

“My biggest sports accomplishment is how each team that I played on just improved each year we played; it was always something we were all proud of. For me personally my biggest accomplishment would just be me being me and getting recognized on a state level for my hard work,” she says humbly.

In addition to her incredible sports achievements, Brenner was also named one of the Top 10 in the Stanley Boyd Class of 2023 for academics, a feat that didn’t come easy for the busy sports player.

 “There were lots of times where I felt super overwhelmed by how much work I needed to finish but I made it through with the help of my friends as they were also in top 10 and in sports. We were always helping one another which made it a lot easier. Also, our coaches were very understanding, and they made sure we always knew that academics came before athletics,” Brenner shares the struggle to balance time for both academics and sports.

Andrea Mahr, Stanley-Boyd’s head coach for Girls’ Softball, has had a front row seat to see the kind of athlete Brenner has transformed into, and remarks, “Not only is Emily a gifted athlete, she is a model teammate. She was the pulse of the team and lead by example. She played with her heart, all in, each game and held herself to high standards. She had a lighthearted spirit with her teammates and was a cheerleader for everyone. Someone who didn’t know the game of softball well, could attend and watch Emily and know she was something great. She was an amazing athlete to coach, and I am honored to be a small part of her academic and athletic journey.”

Brenner describes the long list of those who have influenced her life including family, coaches and teammates but she focuses on two of the most influential, her brother, Collin, and her Aunt Sasha.

 “My brother taught me that things are not given but you must work for them. He was the one that made me go to the gym and work harder to become the person I am today.” Brenner mentions that her Aunt Sasha, who lives in Oregon, also played volleyball for Stanley-Boyd in high school and would text Emily after her games to tell her how proud she was of her. Brenner adds, “This would give me a little boost and make me realize that the game isn’t always about me. There is a much bigger purpose in my small life.”

On May 26, Emily graduated with eighty-five Stanley-Boyd seniors at Oriole Park while their family and friends proudly filled the stands. For many athletes, attending a small-town high school would be seen as a hardship to overcome but not for Brenner. “I think that going to a small school helped me throughout my sports career because it showed me that just because we have a smaller number of students doesn’t mean we are less athletic (than) the big schools. It just makes you work harder to get recognized by colleges or even the recognition of how good our team was.” Emily reminisces on the memories from her years playing sports at Stanley-Boyd that will not be easily forgotten, including team dinners and locker room team sing-alongs.

 “One game that I will never forget was our regional final that we won against Abbotsford.” She says, “There were so many emotions going on during that game that I don’t ever remember half of it, but I do remember the rush of happiness after we won and that all the fans were so loud.” She adds, “It’s a moment I will never forget.”

Emily’s parents and biggest fans, Nick and Bridget Brenner, remember seeing early on that Emily had a heart for sports. “Since a young age she has always had a competitive spirit and drive to be successful at whatever she sets her mind to. We have really enjoyed watching her long with her teammates grow,” they remark. Bridget Brenner describes one of her favorite memories watching Emily play. “There are so many good memories throughout Emily’s career but one that sticks out to me is when the girls beat Bloomer to clench a piece of the conference title. Emily had a great game along with all of her teammates. It was such a fun and exciting game. I am so proud that they were able to pull out the 5-set win!”

Nick Brenner shares his favorite, “The sectional semi game against Marathon, Emily and her team played so well. They played their hearts out and it played out in their favor.”

In regard to her accomplishments, her parents continue, “We are very proud of all her accomplishments. She has worked really hard, stayed dedicated, and focused to reach her goals. As parents she has made our jobs very easy. She is very selfless and is always wanting the best for her teammates. We are look forward for the next steps in her career.”

While her family saw her competitive streak early on, Emily Brenner also knew from a young age that she was destined to compete in sports. 

She says, “I first discovered my love for sports when I was really young. I played t-ball and basketball when I was probably 5 or 6 years old. I was also always around my brother when he was playing sports, so it really instilled the love for it all.”

Going forward Emily would love to make a name for herself throughout the WIAC for volleyball, but she also wants to become a better student and a better person. “I want to be able to find a good career and continue to make a difference,” Brenner admits.

For many years, sports have been a male dominated area. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, by age fourteen many girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys for reasons including, lack of opportunities, safety and transportation issues, social stigma, decreased quality of experience, cost, and lack of positive role models. But women continue to  persevere as studies find that girls and women who play sports have lower levels of depression, a more positive body image, higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, and experience higher states of psychological well-being than girls and women who do not play sports.

 For young girls starting out in their sports careers, Brenner has this advice.  “I want young girls to know when starting their sports career is that people are going to want you to fail. They don’t want to see you succeed. You have to put in the work to prove them wrong and show what you can do.  If you put your mind to something and work hard it will pay off and people will notice.” She adds, “Don’t lose sight of what you want. You are the only one that can affect the outcome."