Meyer and Wilsey Win Yates Memorial Scholarships
June 19, 2020 - The Firebirds are pleased to announce that Emma Meyer and Sarah Wilsey are the recipients of this year’s Randy Yates Memorial Firebirds Scholarships. Each member of the current Firebirds 18U-Meyer battery (Meyer pitches, Wilsey catches) has won an unrestricted scholarship to support them in college.
Meyer is a recent graduate of Edison High School. She will be attending Gettysburg College this fall, where she will play softball for the Bullets. A Firebird player for six years, Meyer participates in numerous volunteer activities, including supporting the Firebirds Winter Clinic and serving as an assistant coach for NVGSA house teams and the Highland Park developmental swim team. "A devoted, hard-working, caring, and confident softball athlete is what it means to be a Firebird," explains Meyer. "To me, being a Firebird isn’t just wearing a jersey, it’s a passion for the sport that influences everything I do. I am thankful to be a Firebird."
Wilsey graduated from Hayfield Secondary School. She has played ten years - a full decade! - for the Firebirds. In addition to her regular volunteer work at the Firebirds Winter Clinic and NVGSA house camps, she serves as a volunteer for local hypothermia shelters and Stop Hunger Now; as an election page for Fairfax County; as an acolyte at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church; and as a Honor Society tutor at school. She will attend Randolph-Macon College this fall and play softball for the Yellow Jackets. "have been part of the Firebirds for my entire life," Wilsey said, "and it has raised me as a determined player that I am now continuing to take to college with me as I continue my softball career."
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. As Wilsey noted, "Coach Yates set the precedent of dedication by continuing to coach long after his daughters had moved on to different teams, and we continue his legacy by running camps for future Firebirds, organizing food/equipment drives for the communities around Firebirds, and supporting every team in the program." Coach Yates passed away in 2017. Learn more about the scholarship program here.