‘Hard work pays off’

Anthony Brown, who will be a sophomore next year at University High School, believes in working hard.

“Hard work pays off,” he said. Getting up at 4:30 every morning to deliver The Spokesman-Review has paid off, and the proof is in his 1988 Honda Civic that sits in front of his house.

Anthony, 15, has also reaped the benefits of keeping healthy and strong by training and staying clean.

“I want to run fast,” he said, “so I stay clean.” He excels in track, cross country and wrestling. He’s a “jock” and proud of it.

In the eighth grade, he broke the Valley all-league record for the mile, and at U-Hi he broke almost every freshman record they had and was their top runner. He won the Ryan Cross Award and earned money to go to California to run in the Reebok Invitational.

“He had some exceptional times,” said his dad, Ron Brown, “4:36 in the 1,600 and 10:10 in the 3,200.” His running earned him a free ride to White Pass Cross Country Training Camp this summer. “He’s an overachiever who likes to train hard,” said his dad.

In wrestling, he competed in one of the state’s best wrestling programs and sometimes wrestled on varsity.

Anthony has gained insight from stories his great-grandmother told about living through the Great Depression, and his father has shared stories about the things he saw during the time he spent in Baghdad, from April 2004 through February 2005 with the Washington Army National Guard.

He has learned not to take things for granted. Anthony’s mother, Debbie Brown, has taught him the value of honesty, while his father has always told him to strive to be the best and that anything is possible.

“Kids today can achieve so many things,” Anthony said. “But you have to work for it.”