AURORA – The Colorado High School Activities Association is pleased to announce that Damon Cook and Brakelle Westphal will serve as the organization’s Fall 2024 interns.
Cook returns to CHSAA for a second semester after spending Spring 2024 working with the communications department. Cook, participating in the Communications Internship Program, wrote feature stories and state championship recaps for a number of sports and activities, while also assisting the office in the compilation of all-state teams and social media management.
“I’m thrilled to have Damon back for a second semester,” Director of Communications Amanda McClure said. “He’s a great fit for our office and has proven that he’s very capable of handling anything that he’s tasked with. I’m excited to build upon the experience he has and challenge him with some new tasks in order to help him grow his skill set even more.”
A senior at Colorado State University, Cook also serves as the sports editor for the Rocky Mountain Collegian. He’s reported on all 16 NCAA Division I sports at CSU, and has covered CSU’s vast recreation league and intramural sports. Majoring in journalism and media communication with a minor in sports management, Cook is looking forward to graduating in December 2024.
Westphal, a 2023 graduate of Springfield Junior/Senior High School in Springfield, Colorado, joins CHSAA for her first semester with the Sports Management Internship Program. Currently a sophomore at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Westphal will assist CHSAA with all aspects of organizing, planning and hosting state championship events and conferences.
“We are thrilled to welcome Brakelle to our team as an intern,” Assistant Commissioner Rashaan Davis said. “Her remarkable achievements as a state representative, a multi-sport athlete, and a dedicated high school student with an outstanding academic record embody the core values of our organization. Brakelle’s journey reflects our commitment to education-based activities and the positive impact it has on our student participants. Her understanding of what it means to be a part of the CHSAA family gives us great confidence in the contributions she will make during her internship.”
Her high school’s Co-Valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, Westphal was a member of the 2023 Class of Boettcher Scholars and participated in volleyball, basketball, cross country and track and field at Springfield, where she won three gold medals in the 800m, 4x200m relay and sprint medley relay at the Track and Field State Championships. She was also president of three organizations – STUCO (Student Council), FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and Springfield Honor Society – while also representing small schools at the state level as a CHSAA State Representative.
A lifetime member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Westphal has been involved in the DWSC Mentorship Program, which pairs women in the sports industry with women interested in a career in the sports industry, and she’s volunteered with Food for Thought, at the Capitol Movie Theater and with the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports.
CHSAA is proud to offer internship opportunities for students looking to gain experience with all aspects of high school sports and activities throughout Colorado. Students interested in learning more about the communications and sports management internship opportunities at CHSAA can find full job descriptions on CHSAA’s Jobs/Internships website later this fall.