University of Minnesota Athletics
Black History Month: Brittany (McCoy) Peters
2/18/2019 6:28:00 AM | Women's Basketball
In honor of Black History Month, Gopher Athletics is celebrating those who made us great. Throughout February, GopherSports.com will share short interviews with African-American alumni from various Gopher programs. In these interviews, former student-athletes reflect on their time at the U of M, provide advice to current Gophers and share what Black History Month means to them personally.
Brittany (McCoy) Peters
Sport: Women's Basketball
Years: 2006-2010
Hometown: Lincolnwood, Ill.
Occupation: Personal Trainer
What is it you miss most about the University?
What I miss most about college is living with and being in such close proximity to your closest friends. Whether it's a late night craving for pizza or an impromptu afternoon at the lake, there were always people to call who could go at a moment's notice. Now people have jobs and families and busy schedules, but in college everyone was up for whatever whenever.
If you could give the current student-athletes any piece of advice, what would it be?
My advice would be to truly cherish every moment of playing college sports because when it ends you're going to look back and miss it. I know from experience that your four years will be an emotional roller coaster. It's not always rainbows and butterflies; often it's stress and tears and frustration. But the good days always outweigh the bad days, and when it's over you're never going to have an experience like it again. Cherish training table with your teammates, the relationship you build with your coaches, and the weekends watching movies with your roommate. They will be some of your best memories.
What was your favorite university or athletic even you've attended since you graduated and what made it so special to you?
In 2014 I had the opportunity to travel to Brazil to watch the men's world cup. What an amazing experience! Watching the world's most popular sport on the biggest stage was something that I'll never forget. Also, since I am a former soccer player I could relate to how much work and skill it took to make it to the top. Attending the games was a crazy cultural experience and seeing the passion that all these other countries bring to the stands was amazing. I love to travel, so I also couldn't get enough of exploring the country of Brazil.
What are you grateful for?
Where do I begin? In the stage of life that I'm in right now, I'm incredibly grateful for my husband of almost three years. I'm grateful for my healthy body. I'm grateful for my parents and my siblings. I'm grateful for my job which I love. I'm grateful every morning I wake up that I live in this country and have the freedoms and opportunities that I have.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month means celebrating half my heritage. Being mixed I grew up in a unique situation. Even though I grew up in a mostly white neighborhood right outside Chicago, I played for inner city basketball programs where a majority of my teammates were black. Even though my mom is white and my dad is black, race was never something I thought much about. I simply played or competed with everyone, never taking into consideration the color of their skin. The older I get, however, the more I'm aware of race and race relations. I find that my mixed heritage allows me to understand different cultures and ways of thinking, as well as relate to people who don't quite feel like they fit in.
What occupies your time now?
Currently, my personal training job, my high school coaching job, and quality time with my husband occupies most of my time. Whenever I have some free time, it's spent getting dinner with girlfriends or spending time with my parents and little brothers.