Guess What Happened to Me Today? - January 2025

In the immediate moments after winning the Class A individual singles championship during the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Tennis State Tournament in October, Minnehaha Academy sophomore Chloe Alley was thrust into the media spotlight. It was a place she hadn’t been before, and she wasn’t sure how to act while holding a microphone and talking to a broadcaster from the League’s streaming partner.

Before accepting the invitation, she shared with a League staff member that she had never been interviewed before. She was unsure of the process and concerns swirled:

• What would she say?

• Where would she look?

• Would the questions be hard?

• What if she said something that didn’t make sense?

The League believes every student-participant is on their own journey through education-based activities. Interacting with the media is part of the education process and a chance to share their stories with others. The League staff member smiled and reassured Chloe that she wasn’t alone in her concerns. Thousands, if not millions, of students were in the same position during their high school careers. Chloe was encouraged to take a deep breath, smile during the interview and have fun talking about the game she loves and what it feels like to be a state champion.

“I think I can do it,” she said as the trepidation was clearly fading. “Hopefully, I won’t sound corny.”

As supporters from Minnehaha Academy, a Minneapolis-based private school, watched from a short distance, Chloe handled the interview with enthusiasm and finesse. She beamed as the interview wrapped up before moving on to a newspaper reporter. She eventually made her way back to that staff member, who interviewed her for about 10 minutes for the League’s coverage of the event.

After that final interview, she flipped the script.

“Well, how did I do?” she asked. “Did I sound dumb or corny?

Far from it. She handled the situation like a champion.