![\"Brooke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/OARSDeaton1_t850.jpg\" "\\"Brooke")
<\/p>\nOrlando Area Rowing Society\u2019s Brooke Deaton never will forget the Junior 8+ boat with which she won Sweep States in 2024. She was in her second year of rowing, and at that point, she had to decide whether she would commit to the sport or venture down another avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowing took time out of her schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deaton, who graduated from Olympia High in May, missed out on high school football games for practices, but the group of girls made it all worth it \u2014 everyone was willing to work hard for one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winning states as a sophomore made Deaton realize she wanted to begin the recruitment process. One-and-one-half years later, Deaton officially committed to the University of West Virginia\u2019s Division I rowing team, she almost had fully signed with the school until she received a different offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2024, Deaton not only learned she was serious about rowing but also that she craved the structure and security a military academy offers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she received a call from the United States Military Academy West Point, she decided to de-commit from the University of West Virginia.<\/p>\n
Although she no longer will be rowing for OARS or in college, the experiences she gained through her four years there and her year as a senior captain will shape how she approaches her future at West Point and life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COMMITMENT TO OARS\u00a0<\/p>\n
Growing up, Deaton was active in athletics. She previously played soccer before participating in a summer camp at OARS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI liked the water,\u201d she said. \u201cI liked how it was a team-built sport, and I liked the consistency. \u2026 I thought it had the prettiest landscape, and that\u2019s where I went.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She always had begged her parents for a consistent and structured schedule, and OARS gave her just that. The first year, as most newbies, she was infatuated with it, but after realizing the commitment required, she began to feel the weakness in rowing more than the strength, especially since rowing demands athletes to be well-rounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rowers have running, weightlifting and erg, which is the on-land rowing machine, assessments. They also have rowing assessments, which is done on the water and through single, doubles and eight-person boats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a sport of statistics,\u201d Deaton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The erg machine always has been her favorite measure of effort. Its screen shows rowers how long it takes them to row 500 meters. If they pull harder, then the time goes down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat either puts you in a situation where you want to accept the challenge or puts you in a situation where you\u2019re going to underestimate yourself,\u201d Deaton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Deaton achieved the recruitable benchmark of 2,000-meter erg time of 7 minutes, 45 seconds \u2014 fast enough to capture the attention of the University of West Virginia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Brooke Deaton has achieved her dreams of pursing a military academy for its access to faculty who will teach her lifelong lessons.<\/p>\n
Courtesy photo<\/p>\n
But through the recruitment process, Deaton also was applying to service academies. She applied to the academies for her call to service that was inspired by her male family members who have served and her siblings who all are on their own pathways. She said being in a driven family has pushed her to work even harder, especially since education is expensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to make this funny joke with my dad because he has three biological kids, and I like to joke where he has two out of three college funds because he\u2019s gambling on the fact that out of three kids, one of them won\u2019t use it and he got lucky because I\u2019m not using it,\u201d Deaton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deaton dreamed of a stable job with opportunities and a school that would keep her focused on success. It\u2019s why she\u2019s honored to be attending West Point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Navy Seal quote has inspired Deaton\u2019s dedication to improving herself, pushing herself when she\u2019s overwhelmed to produce results that shock her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you feel like you\u2019ve given all your effort, you\u2019re only giving 80% and you have an extra 20%,\u201d Deaton said. \u201cI live by that. You can push yourself harder than you mentally think you can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She departs for West Point\u2019s boot camp Monday, June 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PUSHING FOR SUCCESS<\/p>\n
Deaton knows the path that lies ahead of her won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoot camp is definitely a fear,\u201d she said. \u201cGas chamber is definitely a fear. Jumping out of a plane, getting screamed at for hours on end, everything is scary. But what I keep reminding myself, as I said in my final speech at OARS, \u2018It is a privilege to be uncomfortable. It will be a privilege and it will help me learn and grow.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rules she must follow as a freshman at West Point also will help her grow. She can\u2019t shut her door unless she\u2019s changing. She can only walk on the inside of halls. \u00a0She can\u2019t speak outside and must walk everywhere with her hands cupped. Deaton won\u2019t even be known by her first name the entire year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of those things I know are going to make me uncomfortable,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m willing to embrace it for the journey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deaton won\u2019t return home until Thanksgiving break. It will be hard not to see her parents and five siblings for months, but her family always has supported her and pushed her through every step of the way, and attending West Point will unlock a new world of possibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an environment where people want to teach you, they want to learn, and I\u2019m such a person that all I want to do is learn,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be in an environment where I\u2019m pushed to learn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The student to faculty ratio is 3:1 at West Point \u2014 perfect to foster Deaton\u2019s success. She will have the support system around her to help her find academic success, like she had at OARS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being in a rowing community pushed Deaton to become the best version of herself. The organization always encouraged participants to be more than just a rower and that the student in student-athlete always came first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The environment helped Deaton graduate as an AP Super Scholar from Olympia and top 10% of her class. She spent more than 10 hours per week studying for her 14 AP classes she took during high school.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WELL-ROUNDED APPLICANT<\/p>\n
Service academy appointments require a nomination from a state senator, vice president of the United States or other representatives. Sen. Ashley Moody and U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster selected Deaton.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After fitness exams and her formal application, Deaton found herself in an interview room with Sen. Rick Scott. Deaton walked into a room with five people all sitting in chairs in front of her in uniform. One by one, they asked questions and took notes of her answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI had never been in a situation like that before,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to get interview trained. I had to find an outfit. I had to (be specific in) my essays for what I wanted to say and how I wanted to be perceived.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
One common theme throughout all of her interviews was the question, \u201cHow would people describe you in leadership?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deaton said being able to talk about her leadership time as a captain of an OARS team of 200 and competing at events that had thousands of participants helped her showcase the scope of her leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to see that you\u2019re a small fish in a big pond making as much difference as you can make than a big fish in a small pond,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she prepares to step into the next chapter, she will carry that lesson with her. She\u2019ll become the bottom of the food chain, but it\u2019s the first step in setting herself down a path of service and eventually come out of the academy as a second lieutenant and ready to lead in a new fashion.<\/p>\n
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