'Why I am where I am today': How a village guided Windham's Briah Daniel to the podium

Briah Daniel's senior season got off to a strange start.

Coming off a state berth in 2023 , the Windham thrower was missing something rather important.

A coach.

With Dougle Hankins, the Bombers coach over the past several years, out with knee replacement surgery, there was a scramble to find an interim. Daniel's mom offered to coach if needed. Fortunately, janitors Chase Eye and Mike Walters stepped up right as the year was getting underway.

It was a dramatic example of something that has long been true for Windham track and field athletes — it takes a village.

The Bombers don't have a track.

They have a tiny roster.

They don't have coaches for each specialty (jumps, sprints and throws, for example) like larger area programs.

But Windham has made a habit of sending athletes to state in recent years, with jumper Aaron Blevins qualifying twice (in 2018 and 2019) and Daniel making state podium appearances the last two years.

"I don't have a real throws coach," Daniel said. "I can honestly say I've never really had a true throwing coach, but I've had people who have stepped up over the past couple years."

That starts with Hankins, who has never been afraid to reach out for help. That includes Daniel going out and throwing with teacher Jeff States during school.

"He's gone out and actually helped me throw while school was still in, which I'm so incredibly thankful for," Daniel said. "There's a couple other coaches, like the Mathews throwing coach has been a big help for me these past two years, too. So, [there's] just multiple people that have kind of helped guide me along and given me tips here, and they're the reasons why I am where I am today."

Another thrower in the family

Briah Daniel had no intention of becoming a thrower in high school. Nope, that idea belonged to Hankins.

"My freshman year, I didn't want to do it," Daniel said. "Then Mr. Hankins, our coach, convinced me halfway through the season."

And it was love at first practice? Nope, not at all.

Per Daniel, "I absolutely hated it."

So what brought her back as a sophomore?

"Honestly, I don't even remember," Daniel said. "I know just my freshman year, I didn't like it. I don't know what made me want to come back my sophomore year, but obviously I'm glad I did because it's why I am where I am right now."

The turnaround started her junior year.

That's when "something clicked," said Daniel. And as she got deeper into throwing, Daniel's village expanded, whether it was Windham teachers like States, opposing coaches or even family members like Chandler Bee.

That's right, Daniel's cousin, Bee, holds the boys school records at Windham in the discus and shot and made the state podium at Garfield as a senior .

"It's something that we kind of can relate on, we have in common, [to] talk about throwing," Daniel said. "So it's cool to have someone in your family that has done something that great, and now we both hold school records in throwing events, which is also pretty cool."

Briah Daniel shows poise under pressure

It took a village to find a coach this year. It took a village to help a promising young thrower blossom into a state qualifier.

That said, there are certain things that no one person — or village — can teach, such as Daniel's poise under pressure.

The Norwayne regional. The state meet. Those are big stages, especially for a thrower like Daniel, who doesn't get to see a lot of competition throughout the Bombers' Northeastern Athletic Conference schedule.

"I went to a few invitationals this season, but I definitely was not at a place where [the] competition was like this," Daniel said. "So I don't see it a lot, but it felt good to throw well against it."

How does Daniel keep calm? It starts with praying before she throws, which "definitely calms me down."

Now, Daniel is headed to an even bigger stage — to throw at the University of Mount Union, which is where Blevins competed as well. Though Daniel was a three-sport star for the Bombers, scoring 1,000 points on the hardwood, she didn't receive any college attention until her trip to the state meet as a junior.

"It was a new experience for me," Daniel said. "It felt good to see other people seeing how much I improved and how much potential I have."

The Purple Raiders were the second or third school to reach out, and Daniel said "Mount felt like home more than anywhere else." As she heads off to Alliance, there's little question what kind of legacy Daniel left at Windham.

"It feels good to bring more attention to track and field at Windham because it hasn't had a lot attention," Daniel said. "It hasn't had a lot of support for the past how many years, so to be one of those people, to be remembered as someone who put track and field at Windham on the map, it's a great feeling."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 'Why I am where I am today': How a village guided Windham's Briah Daniel to the podium