AURORA - The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is excited to announce its Fall 2025 interns, as Christopher Simmons will join the association as the Communications Intern and Brakelle Westphal will return as the Sports Management Intern.
 
Westphal has been with CHSAA since the Fall 2024 semester, supporting game-day operations and assisting with conference preparations. Since taking on her role, she has continued to increase her workload each semester and will be taking more of a leadership role with the CHSAA State Representatives this year.
 
“Brakelle has been an incredible addition to CHSAA, and as she enters her second year with us, she’s working harder than ever to excel in her role,” said Assistant Commissioner Rashaan Davis, who oversees CHSAA’s Sports Management internship program. “Last year, she shined not only at the boys volleyball championship and the state student leadership camp, but also at numerous other state championships and coaches conferences where her professionalism and follow-through stood out. In the office, she has consistently followed through on assignments with care and precision, all while bringing a positive attitude that lifts everyone around her.”
 
As CHSAA's Sports Management Intern, Westphal has organized and helped prepare materials for onsite and offsite events, managed equipment inventory, facilitated communication with coaching staff, athletes and parents for championship events, and provided administrative assistance to sports management professionals.
 
New for this year, Westphal has stepped up to take more of a leadership role with the CHSAA State Representatives, a group of 20 student leaders from across the state.
 
“This year, I’m especially excited to see her step into a new level of leadership as the mentor and adviser of our state representative program,” Davis added. “Guiding 20 student leaders through their assignments, committee work, and opportunities to share their voices is no small task, and Brakelle is doing it all while balancing her responsibilities as a full-time student at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her energy, commitment, and dedication to CHSAA's mission truly make a difference for our students and our association.”
 
A former CHSAA State Rep herself, Westphal graduated from Springfield Junior/Senior High School as her school’s Co-Valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She was a member of the 2023 Class of Boettcher Scholars and participated in volleyball, basketball, cross country and track and field at Springfield, where she won three gold medals in the 800m, 4x200m relay and sprint medley relay. She was also the president of three organizations – STUCO (Student Council), FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and Springfield Honor Society.
 
As a communication administration major and sports management minor at MSU Denver, Westphal has made the Dean’s List, is the Lambda Pi Eta co-President, and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

CHSAA’s Communications Intern also comes to the association from MSU Denver, as Simmons enters his first semester with the communications department. With a strong background in coaching, sports operations and communications, Simmons is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management.
 
He brings experience as a football coach at both the youth and high school levels to CHSAA, including coaching at George Washington High School and with the Denver Eagles Youth Organization. He’s also worked with Max Media Denver, i9 Sports, Denver Parks and Recreation and Big 5 Sporting Goods.
 
“I’m excited to welcome Christopher to the CHSAA family,” said Amanda McClure, CHSAA’s Director of Communications. “He brings a wide range of experiences with him, as he’s served as both a coach and an official, studied radio and TV broadcasting and has spent time with media organizations throughout Denver. Each of his unique experiences have given him a different perspective on how events are run, and all should not only serve him well in this role but also help him build a solid foundation for a future in this line of work.”
 
As a promotions intern at Max Media Denver, Simmons assisted in the planning and execution of promotional events, while also supporting on-air teams during live remotes to improve fan engagement. Now with i9 Sports, he’s working as a Field Operations Intern, where he leads game-day operations, such as site setup, staff coordination and safety compliance. He’s also conducted cost analysis for field use to optimize scheduling, coached and refereed youth games, and supported registration, scheduling and league management.
 
At Denver Parks and Recreation, he was a youth instructor, leading recreation programs focused on teamwork and youth development. After that, he was a retail sales associate at Big 5 Sporting Goods.
 
In addition to his work experiences, Simmons also holds a certificate in radio and TV broadcasting from Colorado Media School.