Volleyball mother/daughter coaching duo leading Bay

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - It’s safe to say, for many daughters, asking their mothers to be one of their assistant coaches wouldn’t even cross their mind.

“It’s incredibly special to work with my mother,” said daughter Sierra Sain, Bay Varsity Volleyball Head Coach. “Nobody is going to have your back like your mom, so to be able to have that person as your colleague has been extremely special.”

“It was a very easy yes for me to be her support,” said mother Cheryl Burris, Bay JV Volleyball Head Coach. “I’ve always been her support, her biggest fan.”

This pair was always a package deal. If you got a daughter, you’ve got mom and daughter.

“When Sierra got offered the head coaching job at Bay, she said, ‘Well if you come be my right-hand man, I’ll coach.’ This my actual second year as the head JV coach.” said Burris.

“Nobody knows what I want better than my mother,” Sain said. “Sometimes she sees things that I want before I see it. So it’s incredibly special to have that person who knows your heart, knows your brain, knows your intentions, and is able to help you put that into practice.”

This partnership works because Sierra and Cheryl are essentially a 2-for-1 special, when they 2 are on the court, they are basically 1.

“It’s really nice because we speak the same language. She sits on my bench, while I’m coaching, and she talks to my girls. While she’s coaching, I’m keeping stats. So, speaking the same language, it’s a really helpful tool to have as the head coach and as her assistant.” Burris said.

Bay is still looking for their breakout season under this coaching cooperation and even though they’re putting a focus on helping the girls grow in their game, they are so proud of how much the girls have already grown in life.

“You know, Bay’s record is no secret, we had a really rough year last year, but even through that rough year, our culture stayed the same,” said Burris.

“As far as building self-sufficient, young women, that is always at the heart of what we’re doing,” Sain said. “Gratitude, effort, and love are our core values and the girls know, what they do on the court is important. We want to build resilience and the drive to win but also, are we creating kind teammates, selfless leaders.”

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