Local athletes are competing for Youth Athlete of the Year in a national vote through Sports Illustrated: Thurston’s Brooklyn Anderson, DaShawn Brown, and Cottage Grove’s John Whitten.
The competition is sponsored by Sports Illustrated and 3BRAND to recognize “an exceptional young athlete who represents everything we love about sports: a dedication to greatness, fierce competition, and a commitment to their teammates and competitors alike.”
Winners receive $25,000 and a 3BRAND advertisement in SI.
John Whitten
Whitten, 11, leads his voting group so far. He has competed in 15 taekwondo tournaments across the U.S. and Canada and has earned two state titles. He is the state champion in Weapons Forms and Traditional Sparring in Taekwondo.
He began his martial arts journey at age 3. Now, he has earned 35 belts as a black belt. He recently competed at the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) Worlds Super 20, a national tournament where he earned second place in Traditional sparring.
Whitten said he loves taekwondo because “he gets to be around his friends and make new friends all over the U.S. and Canada.”
If he remains first in the “top 20” round, he will advance to the “top 15” round Aug. 7-14. A winner is announced by Oct. 17.
Brooklyn Anderson
Rising senior Anderson is a track-and-field standout. She gained international fame with a viral video of her tripping over the final hurdle at the 2025 OSAA State Track & Field Meet, and still winning the 100-meter hurdles.
Anderson said she loves track for “the feeling of mindfulness.”
DaShawn Brown
Rising junior Brown has been playing on the Thurston JV team as a wide receiver and a linebacker for the past two years. Brown said his “greatest passion lies in football.”
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He said he cherishes teamwork, the sense of family among his teammates, and the cheers of the crowd that celebrate their competitiveness and physical fitness.
He said he hopes to play for the University of Oregon. Brown is 11th in his voting group at this time.
