Passing the Torch

On weekends, during breaks, and throughout the summers, George Fox athletes take to middle school fields, concrete courts, and backyard pitches in their hometowns. To better themselves? Absolutely—but that’s not all.

These Bruins are showing up for more than just their own improvement.

They aren’t just collegiate athletes—they are coaches. Coaches who meet with young competitors who strive to someday stand in the very spaces our athletes occupy daily.

As coaches, they step into the position of role models for their communities, providing guidance in athletic skills, the college recruiting process, and life as young adults.

Allison Heater has worn a bow in her hair for softball games for as long as she can remember. This is why she named her softball academy—based in her hometown of Yakima, Wash.—Bows Mean Business.

The purpose of the academy is to further develop local youth players. Heater played at the junior college level and is now a captain on the George Fox softball team. As such, her insights for young athletes are invaluable to her community.

One of Heater’s main coaching philosophies is being a student of the game. She keeps up with new advances in mechanics within the sport so she can stay current in her teachings.

“It’s so refreshing because you’re always learning,” Heater said, “and you have that fresh perspective because you’re still learning. So I often will take what I learn and just pass it down.”

This includes the knowledge she has gained from George Fox.

One thing she has learned from playing at Fox is that getting to know your athletes—not just as competitors but as people—is crucial to being a good coach. When Bruin head coach Nathan Ohta joined as the head man of the GFU softball program in 2024, he made it a mission to know something about every player. Now, Heater does the same, often while playing catch.

She strives to use her experience as a tool to help the next generation of softball players in her community. Having an accessible college player to talk to about recruiting, the college experience, and collegiate athlete expectations is an invaluable resource — and her experience gives her the pedigree that impresses many young athletes.

“They say, ‘I want to play in college,’” Heater said, “She plays in college. Let’s listen. And I think that’s a really easy connection piece.’”

Heater understands that not all of her girls will want to pursue a college career, but if they do, she’ll be able to help them make those steps. Her ultimate goal in providing her services is to give back to the community that fulfills her.

“More than anything, I just hope that I’m giving back to my community a little bit,” Heater said, “but my community is giving back to me in more ways than I think they know.”

Andie Shirley is not just in javelin for the George Fox track team. Despite only being a sophomore, she is a captain on the team — and a coach at her alma mater, McMinnville. She believes that coaching at McMinnville High School helps prepare her for her role as captain. But more than that, it improves her own technical skills as an athlete.

“I definitely think that it also makes me a better athlete,”she said, “because I’m put into that leadership position where all the things that I care about do come out. It’s kind of like when you learn something in class, and you instill it in your brain more by saying it to someone else—by teaching someone.”

Not only does it make her a better leader and competitor, but she also acknowledges how coaching helps her become a more well-rounded individual as she works to be the type of  coach she would have wanted in her time at high school. Shirley knows her pupils look up to her and hopes to be a positive influence on their early careers.

“My favorite part is how they better me. I feel like they make me a better person. And so it’s very fulfilling—that full-circle moment, just like I would’ve loved to have had a coach who was speaking to me like I am to them.”

With her athletes, the javelin thrower prioritizes mental toughness and work ethic in her coaching philosophies, focusing on giving 100 percent. Although this is a cornerstone value for her, it isn’t the core of her coaching ideology. Above all else, Shirley wants to create a positive experience around javelin for her pupils—one where they feel free to compete fearlessly.

“I also believe there’s a balance with that, and I don’t want kids to fall out of love with the sport,” She said, “I actually want to make them fall even more in love with this sport, especially at that young age. I think that’s really important."

Elijah Soon coaches private soccer lessons in Ewa Beach, Hawai‘i. His mom, dad, and three sisters all play soccer, so he grew up both coaching and being coached by his family. His first experience with coaching came from helping his younger sister improve her skills. He realized that he appreciated being a role model, and soon began offering private lessons as well.

Soon enjoys being someone the younger generation in his community can look up to. He feels that seeing a college athlete in person can give younger players direction and bring college athletics into their sights.

“They think I’m the greatest player ever, you know, just for playing in college,” The senior said, “A lot of these kids are younger, so it introduces them so they know there are levels to soccer. It gives them a goal, which is nice.”

Although George Fox may seem like an impossible goal for some of his pupils, Soon hopes that his athletes will be able to soar to even greater heights than he has. He believes his journey to the mainland shows his athletes that hard work can take you places — in some cases, even bigger places than GFU.

By bringing his knowledge and experience from college athletics back home, Soon hopes to have a direct impact on soccer in his community.

“I want the kids I coach to be better, hopefully,” Soon said, “ to do bigger and better things than I have.”

On May 2, 2026, George Fox University celebrated its graduation. In that record crowd of students eager to take the next step in life, Allison Heater and Elijah Soon stood. In two years, Andie Shirley will join them as not a student-athlete, but an alum.

Yes, George Fox athletes play on the field over their time — but they also return home to their communities something far more valuable: knowledge of the college experience and proof to the children they teach that playing at a higher level is attainable. These Bruins offer them a real-life college player to know, to ask questions, and to follow along with their journey.

So, these kids watch on their parents’ phones, on TVs, and in the grandstands here at George Fox—and they believe that one day, that could be them playing for a college team. That one day, they could return home as recent grads full of stories on the field

And our athletes are actively helping make those dreams a reality.