Cha and Lankford Win Yates Memorial Scholarships

July 3, 2019 - The Firebirds are pleased to announce that Emily Cha and Meghan Lankford are the recipients of this year’s Randy Yates Memorial Firebirds Scholarships. Each of these current Firebirds 18U-Pilch players has won an unrestricted scholarship to support them in college.

Cha is a recent graduate of Marshall High School. She will be attending the Radford University Honors College this fall. A Firebird player for five years, Cha participates in numerous volunteer activities, including supporting the Firebirds Winter Clinic and serving as an EMT for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. About "the most amazing second family ever," Cha states that "being a Firebird is so much more than playing on a softball team...[it's] about developing and learning valuable life skills."

Lankford graduated from Edison High School. She has played four years for the Firebirds and has served as a volunteer coach in the NVGSA house program and with her swim club. She will attend James Madison University this fall. "To me," Lankford says, "being a Firebird means passion, discipline, and love. The Firebirds developed my love for the game and pushed my limits more than I could have imagined."

The scholarship is named for Coach Randy Yates, a former Firebirds coach and advisory who epitomized the spirit of sportsmanship and the love of the game. Coach Yates passed away in 2017. Learn more about the scholarship program here.