WEEKEND CHIT-CHAT WITH ... Grace Burns
By JAY SCHWAB
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jschwab@kcchronicle.com
The Burns name carries plenty of clout around Geneva but Vikings senior volleyball player Grace Burns is more of a worker bee. Playing the blue collar libero position, the daughter of Geneva mayor Kevin Burns is among the key cogs on the Vikings’ 34-2 squad. Burns, who lists Butler and Washington University (St. Louis) among her top college options, visited with Chronicle sports editor Jay Schwab for this week’s Weekend Chit-chat, where city politics, occupational hazards of playing libero and, oh yeah, today’s regional championship match against Batavia all came up. The following is an edited transcript:
Has your dad’s role in politics motivated you to take a greater interest?
I always have had interest in them. We like to talk about it. I have some different views than him. I kind of lean more conservative, and he’s more Democrat [on certain issues]. We get in some heated discussions. ... There are some strong views we differ on, and it’s kind of fun to talk about that. But I have my future decided for me, not politics.
What would you rather do, sit through your least interesting class for an extra two hours every week, or have to attend every city council meeting?
That’s a hard one. Probably city council meetings. They have new referendums every week, stuff like that. I do find it interesting sometimes. It’s fun to know about what’s going on in the town and everything. It is our town.
What are some of the issues in the city that you find interesting?
I thought the non-smoking in the restaurants, I was really for that. I think that really helped out. I worked in a restaurant when that happened, and I just noticed how much cleaner everything was, and nicer. I know all the aldermen pretty well, all their names and everything, so it’s interesting to hear where they stand on some issues as well.
How did you come to play libero?
I used to actually be an outside hitter my sophomore year but I basically can’t compete with Lauren [Wicinski] and Alexa Sommer and Kelsey [Augustine] and Katie [Sommer]. They have the height on me. And I’ve always liked playing back row. My club coach got me into it, and I’ve loved it ever since.
Playing the position you do and having to get on the floor all the time, do you just have to learn to play through soreness, aches and pains?
Yeah. I mean, when you dive for a ball, you don’t have time to sit there and complain that it hurts. You have to get right back up. You’re kind of responsible for getting the ball up to your setter. It’s your responsibility to make sure your hitters can hit a ball. There isn’t time for excuses or just laying around – laziness, basically.
What was your reaction to Megan (Odenthal) having a chance to come back and play a little bit?
I thought that was so exciting. Megan’s one of our really good friends, and when we found out she wasn’t going to play, it hit us all pretty hard. It almost didn’t seem real. ... This is our senior year. We’ve been looking forward to it since we were undefeated in eighth grade. When we found out she couldn’t play, we were all just like ‘No, it’s Megan. She’ll be able to play.’ She’s had extreme progress. I don’t think anyone’s ever seen someone with a torn ACL and MCL come back this fast. To see her working so hard really shows how much she still cares and loves the team and how much she wants to be here.
With the record you guys have, there are some expectations on you guys to do something big this postseason. How confident are you that you can make it happen?
I’m really confident in all of us. We obviously have two losses on the record but I think we’ve gotten better every single game. Every single practice we improve, every single timeout discussion. I think we can take everything from every tiny drill, no matter how tedious it is. So I think we’ve improved from the first day of summer camp in June.
What do you think about a Batavia rematch in regionals Saturday?
I think that’d be really exciting, playing them a third time. Our crowd for senior night was insane, I can’t imagine [playing them] for a regional championship. It makes me nervous. They’re a really good team. You just have to focus and try not to think about all the rivalry and the pressure and just focus on the game.
Last question, what’s a more nervous scenario for you, playing in a regional championship match or waiting out election night results with your dad?
They’re both pretty nerve-racking. I think probably the regional championship just because I can’t affect the election poll results. As much as I want my dad to win, I’m not even old enough to vote yet. I wish I could have my impact on the elections. As soon as I can, I’ll be voting for him. In the regionals, knowing I have to get the digs, I think that’s more nerve-racking, and that’s probably nerve-racking for my dad as well.
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