Over the past two decades of baseball ⚾️ at West Virginia Tech University, we have roughly a dozen or so athletes that have made the transition from a player on our roster to a member of the coaching staff. In fact, two of our current leaders fall into that category.
The biggest obstacle they face is the degree of difficulty involved when you go from being a senior leader / loveable teammate to someone who has authority and is tasked with holding people accountable.
One of the common denominators between long-time Head Coach Cindy Edwards and myself is living in a realistic world. Edwards would not put anyone in a position where they could not contribute to her program.
The fact that Laiken knows and understands the sport of volleyball has been on display for years here on The Hill, so that’s not breaking News to anyone. But the transition from being a player to a coach is simply not an easy transition, certainly not at her age.
One of the things that the youth of today could really use is more people in their lives who are worthy of looking up to. We need a little less Tik – Tok and influencers and a bit more of homegrown success stories.
Pointing 👉 in the direction of someone who is so young and referring to him or her in that manner already might be a bit much, but let’s circle back to what Coach and I have in common. You don’t put someone in a position where they don’t have the skill set to succeed.
Yes, this is a softball capsule, so to not add a softball picture or two wouldn’t make sense.
Six young ladies played their final game as a Lady Cavalier a few months ago. Each of them have now embarked on the next leg of their journey. In the case of Laiken Burnett, it should be an incredible one.
Respect for her parents, admiration for her Big Brother and protector of her little sis are just a few things that pop in regards to the middle child of Mr & Mrs Glenn Burnett.
Bill Gallimore & The road less traveled ! 