Pleasant Valley athletes excel in various sports. Unfortunately, the state and school needs to have enough interest and participation in a sport to make it “high school” official. Due to the location of Iowa, sports such as rowing and hockey are not as prominent as football or track.

This slight setback does not prevent talented athletes, Caroline Sharis, junior, and Luke Toporowski, sophomore, from achieving great things in their respectable sports. These athletes are the epitome of hard-work and dedication. “I am an extremely competitive person, and every day I strive to improve myself as an athlete, whether it is my strength, power, technique or demeanor,” Sharis confidently states her work ethic.

Many Pleasant Valley athletes are beginning to join the prestigious Y Quad Cities rowing team. This is due to the success of Sharis and several other Pleasant Valley alumni: Matt Doyle and Elizabeth Sharis. “Our team has grown substantially over the past couple of years and it’s great to see more students from Pleasant Valley joining.” Sharis enjoys seeing this sport grow more and more throughout her community.

Rowing and hockey programs are difficult to incorporate into high school because it is in Iowa. “I wish hockey could be bigger in Iowa but there is no major influence around so I understand why it isn’t,” Toporowski recognizes the challenge of drawing attention to this sport in the Quad Cities.

Toporowski adds, “I wish the school would understand how much I have to sacrifice to be where I am today and know how high of a level I play at.” He states, however, many people acknowledge his talent and dedication to hockey.

Both athletes understand the circumstances of their sport and realize high school athletes put in plenty of time and hard-work as well. “I have a lot of respect for student athletes, as I know how difficult it can be to train with such intensity year round as well as keeping up with your studies,” Sharis shares.

Each athlete has their claim to success. Sharis recently won the Juniors World Championship in Netherlands. Toporowski is now a part of an elite hockey team, Spokane Chiefs, which will allow him the chance to potentially turn professional in years to come.
“I, like many Pleasant Valley athletes, have had fantastic coaching and supportive teammates who have helped shape the athlete I am today,” Sharis concludes. According to these athletes, success comes from the dedication and hard-work, the results will speak for itself.