Name: Elizabeth Burns
Age: 18
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Bowling
Position: No. 4 Bowler
Years on Varsity: 1 Year
Height & Weight: 5’4”, 106 lbs.
Experience: 1 Year Competitively
ROCKINGHAM – Elizabeth Burns has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales. A member of the Lady Raiders varsity bowling team, Burns has been an integral part of the program’s inaugural season. In what began as a general interest in the sport, Burns has developed a love and competitive spirit and is proud to be a member of the Lady Raiders’ team.
RSHS Academics: As a senior, Burns makes hitting the books a top priority. She is involved in Richmond Senior High School’s dual-enrollment program in conjunction with Richmond Community College, and sees being a member of the RCC cluster as a major advantage in preparing for college.
“I saw dual-enrollment as a great opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school,” Burns said of her decision to begin RCC classes. “Getting some of my (general education) classes out of the way now will help me in the future.”
Burns’ fall semester just ended, and she completed Intro to Ethics and History 132. In the spring, she’ll wrap up her senior year with three more classes at RCC, taking English 112, Intro to Sociology and Statistics.
A straight-A student with a 4.95 weighted GPA, Burns is also ranked No. 10 in the graduating class of 2018. Currently, she’s taking AP Chemistry and Honors English IV at Richmond, while also serving as an intern in the school’s media center with media specialist Shanda Roberson. She was also a junior marshal last year.
“AP Chemistry is my favorite class,” Burns stated. “It’s a hard class with a lot of math. But I like it because it makes sense.”
RSHS Sports: Burns can not only be found knocking down pins for the Lady Raiders, but was a member of Richmond tennis team for the past two seasons. As the team’s No. 6 seed in singles, Burns also paired up with fellow teammates Emily Parsons and Taylor Parrish in doubles competition. She noted that she’s extremely competitive, but like to enjoy the sports she plays at the same time.
Previously, during her ninth and tenth grade years, Burns ran cross country and played as a center back on the Lady Raiders’ soccer team. She enjoyed both sports, but said she “grew out” of them.
Extracurricular Activities/Volunteering: Like many featured Official Richmond County Female Athletes of the Week, Burns puts forth a tremendous effort to remain involved with school functions and activities. Most notably, she’s a member of the National Beta Club and National Honors Society. Through these clubs, Burns participates in giving back to her fellow classmates and the community.
“Every semester we do a Beta-sponsored event,” Burns explained. “This semester I helped Brianna (Baysek) and Altman (Griffin) with their Angel Tree project.
“The purpose of the Angel Tree is to be able to help out the ‘New Raiders’ students,” Burns continued. “These students get an ornament and write three things they’d like for Christmas on them. Then Beta students pick an ornament and buy the gifts. It’s a great way to help out people during the holidays.
Another RSHS organization Burns participates in is Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). Mentioning that she’s always had a particular interest in the sciences, and possibly the medical field, Burns competed in last year’s HOSA state convention in Greensboro, N.C., with fellow senior Destiny Buie.
In the community, Burns is actively involved in events at Freedom Baptist Church and the Richmond County Animal Shelter.
“At Freedom, I help out with mission camps and the summer youth program,” Burns explained, also noting that her church family is a great support system. “And I love to go and help out at the animal shelter. My friend’s mom works there, so I go often to help take care of the animals.”
Hobbies: Almost jokingly, Burns explained that she spends a lot of her free time working at Pattan’s Downtown Grille, refereeing soccer for Rockingham Parks and Rec and doing schoolwork. But when she isn’t staying busy being productive, Burns enjoys hanging out with friends and family. And since she joined the Richmond bowling team, she’s finding herself at the bowling alley more and more working to get better.
“I do enjoy painting,” Burns said of another hobby she enjoys. “I might not be very good at it, but my mom and I will sometimes sign up for classes together. It’s definitely relaxing.”
Interesting Fact: By far the most challenging question Official Athletes of the Week are tasked with answering, Burns took a minute to assess several possible options.
“I love watching crime shows,” Burns expressed. “At one point, I had considered becoming a criminal profiler, which got me into the shows. But now I just watch them for enjoyment.
“My favorite (crime) show is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” she continued. “I’m also really into NCIS and Criminal Minds.”
College Aspirations: As her final semester as a high school senior is just weeks away from beginning, Burns has put a lot of thought into where she’d like to continue her post-secondary education. Like many aspiring college students, Burns has considered several schools, but there is one that supersedes the rest.
“I’ve been accepted to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington,” Burns commented. “I’ve always wanted to go there, and I think that’s where I’ll end up going.
“The campus is so pretty and it’s right at the beach,” Burns continued, stating that it’s hard to argue with the school’s location. “And it makes a lot of sense to go to the coast for what I want to study.”
As aforementioned, Burns has always had an interest in the sciences, more particularly working with animals. She hopes to pursue an undergraduate degree in marine biology as a freshman next fall, explaining that she has a particular interest in sharks.
“For a while I’ve know I wanted to help animals,” Burns said. “At first, I thought of being a veterinarian, but then I realized that I’d only work with cats and dogs – which isn’t a bad thing. But I want to make a difference with animals who don’t get treated correctly. And with marine animals, they sometimes get a bad rep.”
Mentor: Each week, the Richmond Observer asks its Official Female Athlete of the Week to explain a person who has influenced her life. And for Burns, it was an easy decision to go back to her church family.
“Heather James has served as a big influence in my life,” Burns said of the middle school math teacher and Freedom Baptist Church member. “Her and her husband Jeff have always tried to help me spiritually, make me a better person and be a good christian.
“I also (admire) Heather for her patience,” Burns said, noting that it’s a quality that she needs a little guidance with.
Player of the Week Stats: In what has been an exciting first season for the Lady Raiders’ bowling team, it currently sits in the lower half of the Sandhills Athletic Conference standings. The SAC follows the Baker format, which uses five bowlers each game who each bowl two frames. Burns, who is the No. 4 bowler, comes up in the fourth and ninth frames.
During last week’s match at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, the Lady Raiders went 8-2 on the day against Purnell Swett and Hoke County high schools. Richmond finished 4-1 against each school. Burns served as a key bowler in both matches, picking up many of the Lady Raiders’ total pin count.
Explain how bowling has been for you during this first season. How did you become interested in joining the team?
“It’s been pretty fun,” Burns said with a smile. “I’ve always enjoyed bowling for fun, and when Richmond started a team, I just thought it would be fun to join.
“Everyone (on the team) wants to be out there to compete and have a good time, too,” she added. “We joke around, but we are serious when it comes to the matches. The team is really competitive, and we just try to improve and get better each week.”
Because the bowling program is not only a new sport to Burns, but also to RSHS, there have been some trials and tribulations that have been challenging.
“Some games I bowl great, then there are times where I don’t bowl nearly as well,” Burns said. “I’m trying to get my technique down, but it’s hard because I’ve never done this before and sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing right or wrong.
“But I’m going to stay positive and work on becoming more consistent each match,” she concluded.
Coaches Corner: As the Richmond bowling program is part way through its inaugural season, head coach Jeff Ingram has been working with both the boys and girls teams to improve the consistency and pin count from one match to the next. And he notes that Burns is an important part of this progression.
“Elizabeth has bowled well all year,” Ingram said. “I have put her as my No. 4 bowler, and in the Baker format, we bowl a five-man team. She’s the No. 4 bowler because she’s second most consistent bowler. She throws it straight all the time.
“What makes her an important part of our team is that she’s quiet and just bowls straight,” he continued. “She’s just a silent leader and a great teammate to have. She just wants to be a part of the team and help us win. And Elizabeth can pick up her spares, which helps the team.”
Ingram mentioned that Burns initially wasn’t going to try out, but one afternoon before the season started, he ran into her at the bowling alley and saw her potential. He asked her to join the team, and the rest is history.
Look for Burns on the Richmond Observer’s flagship news program Live at 5, as she’ll be in studio for Wednesday’s edition.
