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Softball heroes aren’t limited to just making great plays between the lines; they can be motivated and inspiring leaders off the field too.
That’s the case for today’s high school junior whom we’re honoring for her work in her Georgia community as recounted in this great story from Chris Goltermann of the Coweta Score…
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In the wake of the EF4 tornado — which can have winds up to 200 miles per hour — that ravaged downtown Newnan, Georgia located about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta last Spring, there has emerged a group of people not in the definition of a formal association or organization but ones bound by the same calling to action.
Let’s simply call them, the ‘do-ers.’
Northgate High student-athlete Breigh Totten by that definition is, most definitely, a “do-er.”
Athletics have meant everything to Totten, who hasn’t always found it easy to juggle classwork with sports. It hasn’t stopped her, however, from playing varsity softball, basketball and soccer since arriving on campus.
Totten, though, wasn’t guaranteed a career when she arrived at Northgate.
Six learning disabilities upped the level of difficulty on schoolwork. It meant using school breaks in her youth, including summer vacation, to catch up while others were on the field competing.
A passion for sports, however, kept Totten focused on maintaining her studies.
It created a mentality in all phases to go the extra mile while now playing both varsity and club-level sports in addition to maintaining her studies. Breigh plays for the nationally prestigious East Cobb Bullets travel ball program while now in her first full season on Northgate’s varsity.
She found herself being named Northgate High’s Mike Fitzgerald Student of the Week during the week of Aug. 23, which included a triple against Newnan on the road.
“I love sports and it drives me to be at my best even when I’m tired. I have always had to fight harder and be more dedicated to getting where I want to be in school,” she said. “Although I am not where I want to be yet, I still dedicate myself to my studies. I have not allowed these challenges to hold me back.”
That drive was equally channeled to aiding Newnan High’s softball program after a storm rolled through Coweta County just after midnight on March 26, bringing a path of destruction nearly 40 miles long with a direct impact on campus.
Along with damage to other athletic programs, Newnan’s softball team experienced substantial damage to the softball field among their dugouts, lighting and backstop netting. With the help of parents, a large portion of the work was completed at the expense of the program.
In stepped Totten last week with a check presented to Newnan High’s program as part of her fundraising efforts from T-shirt sales with an original #NewnanStrong design.
In conjunction with the Glenn G. Brooks Charitable Foundation and sponsorships that included Blank Slate Signs, Dalton West Carpets, Corbitt’s Collision and Classic Signature Foods, a combined $3,009 was raised for the NHS softball program.
“If there is one word I can say about Breigh, it’s that she is a ‘do-er,’” said Northgate head softball coach Carleigh Baker, who first saw Totten’s potential as her JV coach prior to a recent promotion and honoring her with the Coaches Award at year’s end.
“Whenever someone is in need, she rises above and beyond to make sure they have anything, even if that means sacrificing something for herself. Her teammates and I continue to be inspired by her actions. Asking Breigh to do anything is a guarantee that it will be done to the best of her ability.”
Assisting the softball program was only one way that Totten was moved to action, though.
With classes canceled county-wide for two weeks through Spring Break due to the storm, Totten didn’t hesitate while helping organize a collection site at Northgate High in a coordinated effort with the American Red Cross.
Essential items were collected as she heard stories of elementary and middle school classmates that were affected by the storm, some of which lost everything to the tornado’s wrath.
“Breigh demonstrated amazing character and leadership skills,” said Northgate head girls basketball coach Marcellous Johnson. “I cannot say enough about how she took the lead in the storm relief effort. Having outstanding athletes on your team is something all coaches dream of every year. However, when those athletes use their talents outside of athletics, it is just extra icing on the cake.”
But Totten also knew the impact that it had made on the high school athletic community at Newnan.
As the supply trucks began to back up among the throng of community action, she turned her attention to athletes like herself. Totten talked with the Northgate staff about what they could do for Newnan’s softball program in addition to offering their field for tryouts and practice time.
The check presentation from the T-shirt profits was scheduled for last week’s softball game at Northgate between the Vikings and Cougars, which was eventually canceled due to heavy rain.
Yet the emphasis of Totten’s benevolence and compassion wasn’t lost on Newnan High players and coaches.
“It really made my night to know that a high schooler organized that for us,” Cougars head coach Carrie Gilmore. “She made me feel so good about young people.”
— Chris Goltermann, Editor-In-Chief of the Coweta Score