Campbell McCluskey is not afraid of hard work.
It’s how she got to where she is today.
McCluskey is a senior at Little Flower High School, and this year, she was a veteran tennis player who was one of the leaders on the Sentinels.
When she got there, she had a lot of work to do.
“I started because my sister (Brigid) was on the team,” said McCluskey, who lives in Fox Chase. “I played that summer with my family, but I joined my sophomore year because it was easier for everyone if I played the same sports she did. She’s two years ahead of me, so when she was a senior I started.
“She helped me a lot. We learned together, we had two years together. She was good, she wasn’t bad at all. But neither of us were tennis pros. I played with her, we played doubles. It was fun playing with her.”
That was a great first step.
When her sister moved on, McCluskey moved up.
She moved to singles, and put in lots of work. The result was a great leap that took her from second doubles to Second-Team All-Catholic, where she was the Sentinels first singles player this year.
“Once my sister left and I started playing singles, I felt more independent,” McCluskey said. “I joined because of her, but junior year, I was there because I chose to be there. I want to be there and get better at tennis. It made it easier for me to work hard and improve my skills. I loved tennis, but I really wanted to move up the ladder.”
This year, she reached heights even she didn’t expect.
“Well, at beginning of year, I was really nervous,” McCluskey said. “I was supposed to be the best on the team. I feel like it helped me develop confidence in my abilities. I worked hard to be where I was. I developed and worked hard on improving. The outcome wasn’t what I was worried about, I was just trying to improve from what I was.”
While she put in a lot of work, she also credits her coach for turning her into the player she became.
“I give a lot of credit to Coach (Val) McPeak,” McCluskey said. “She always believed in me since I joined the team. She always helped, always dedicated her time to not just me, but all of us. She’d help out on weekends. She would help me on Saturdays. And she always believed in me and helped me.”
While McPeak was her latest coach, McCluskey also credits her father with helping.
He served as her first coach and got her and her sister ready to compete against the greats in the Catholic League.
“My dad is a big part of it, especially this year,” McCluskey said. “He’s a really good coach and my No. 1 fan. If tennis practice was canceled or if I had a free day, he’d practice with me and give me pointers. He was always there helping me improve, he was a big part of my improvement.
“He wasn’t a player, but he’s been a baseball coach. So he knows how to coach, he’s a really good coach. He’s a good tennis player, too.”
So is his daughter.
She’s also good at other sports.
Now that tennis is over, McCluskey will compete on the Little Flower swimming team where she swims the breaststroke and freestyle. Once that season ends, she jumps out of the pool and runs to the field, where she competes on the flag football team.
“I’ve been swimming for a really long time, since first grade, all through elementary school,” McCluskey said. “I swam at St. Cecilia’s and for a couple years I was part of the Bustleton Swim Club. I think swimming is really good conditioning, you use your whole body. It keeps you active and fit.
“I started playing flag football last year. I was doing lacrosse freshman and sophomore year, but transitioned to flag football. I played a lot with my brother, it looked like a fun thing to do. My friends were on the team. I played wide receiver.”
She still has two seasons left at Little Flower before she gets her diploma, but she’s starting to think about the future. She hopes to continue her tennis career.
“I want to study psychology,” McCluskey said. “I love researching motives behind what we do and why we do it. I would love to study experimental psychology. It can help with things, like seeing changes in behavior. It’s always really interested me.”
On top of being a star athlete, McCluskey is on the school newspaper, where she writes poetry and other types of articles. She’s also on the mock trial team and is involved in theater.
She’s also trying to do her best in everything she does.
“I love Little Flower,” McCluskey said. “I want to keep doing my best, getting better in the sports I’m playing, and school. I want to get into a good college and hopefully get recruited to play tennis in college.”
