Freshman Alex Burns has already made a name for herself at Liberty High School: earning Student of the Month, playing multiple sports, and stepping into a leadership role as a girls’ soccer captain. Thirty minutes before taking the field, the announcement came that would change the dynamics of the JV soccer team for the remainder of the season. During the pregame strategic talk, the coach announced that freshman Alex Burns would be the captain due to her exceptional leadership skills.
Alex Burns is a freshman here at Liberty High School. She has been very involved here, participating in multiple sports, clubs, and activities. As a matter of fact, she makes sure to put the Student before the Athlete. She was recently named English Spring student of the month. Alex is very passionate about everything that she does. During her first year in high school, she has already been on the volleyball team, she’s excelled in her school work, made the soccer team, and now, has been appointed captain.
Alex was always the kid who wanted to do every sport in the book, and then she came across soccer and fell in love with it. Alex played her very first season of soccer when she was about 6 years old. Alex first started playing on a team called NPSC and has stuck with them ever since. Alex and her team outside of school have been through so many changes together and have always stuck with each other. They went from NPSC to freedom, and then that team became a travel team together. She doesn’t feel the pressure of being captain, but does sometimes get nervous talking to refs. “When I first got captain, I thought I needed to perform better and change what I was doing to perform better,” Burns states. “But then I realized I was selected captain because I had already shown I could be a leader.” This is also the very first time Alex has ever been a captain for a team, so that made her nervous as well.
All of the teammates were very excited and happy with the fact that Alex was chosen to be captain. As a matter of fact, she was moved up to varsity for a game earlier this season. Alex’s teammates and fellow captains have been inspired by her this season. “Alex shows great leadership skills both on the field and off the field,” says sophomore captain Alejandra Fuentes. “She pushes people to do their best and not quit halfway through. She has made positive impacts both on and off the field.” On the field, Alex makes sure her teammates hear her, and they allow her to keep them moving forward. Off the field, Alex makes little goals so the team has a reason to look forward and keep going. “I hope Alex just pushes our teammates to keep going and be resilient like our coach taught us,” states Fuentes.
Teammate Allison Aguila said Alex’s leadership is what makes her captain material. “Alex always makes sure that everyone is
understanding the play by talking to her defense on where to cover, how to cover, and how to balance out on the field,” says Augila. “She is very inspirational to others by making sure her teammates keep their heads up and talking to them so they keep going.” Alex has made a positive impact on the team because her determination for the team and to play stand out to everyone. Alex always puts in that extra effort to make sure everyone understands and even demonstrates drills when someone doesn’t understand. Off the field, her personality to everyone around her is just the best. She’s funny, sweet, caring, and she brings all that to the field, playing with emotion and determination. “I hope she continues to inspire and motivate everyone around her,” explains Aguila.
Alex has always kept a positive attitude because she said she’s very hard on herself, although she knows not to, since it makes her just get in her head. Alex also stated that she’s been struggling with this recently because there have been some rough games, yet she still makes sure to keep a positive attitude. “It’s a captain’s job to make sure all my teammates are performing to the best of their abilities,” explains Burns. Resilience is a topic all the girls on the soccer team know very well, including Alex. “Just talk nicely to yourself and be kind to yourself because it really does take someone telling you you’re doing great for you to get out of your head,” advises Burns. Focusing on the things she’s doing right rather than the things she’s doing wrong keeps her head in the game.
As the season continues, Burns’ leadership will remain a key factor in the team’s success. She’s a great addition to the captain’s circle. She has so much to bring to the table, and everyone is excited to see where all three of the captains lead the girls’ soccer team this year. Although Alex was crushing as a teammate, she always stood out because of her leadership skills, ability to communicate, and her inspiring personality. There’s still time till the season ends, and the Liberty girls’ soccer team is aiming to finish the season strong with the great leadership of captain Alex Burns.
