{"id":7547,"date":"2024-01-25T09:48:10","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T14:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=7547"},"modified":"2025-08-23T16:54:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T20:54:27","slug":"the-gentle-giant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2024\/01\/25\/the-gentle-giant\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gentle Giant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kyle Nichols<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In our town of Presque Isle, UMPI does a tremendous job of bringing in students from states across the country. A lot of these students who come from far away are coming to play on one of UMPI\u2019s many sports teams. The state of Florida is one of the bigger states represented by students at UMPI, including graduate student Timmy Burns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Timmy\u2019s journey at UMPI has been nothing short of remarkable. Back in his freshman year, he was the embodiment of shyness, often blending into the background. One of Timmy\u2019s closest friends, graduate student Dakota Morrow, testified to this saying, \u201cTim was one of the shyest people I knew at that time. He would not say a word unless he had to.\u201d But as the years rolled by, his story took a dramatic turn, one that would see him not only emerge from his cocoon, but also spread his wings as a confident leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     For Timmy, the turning point came when he earned the captain\u2019s title for the UMPI Owls\u2019 baseball team. That\u2019s when he really began to open up and step into his own. \u201cThe leader role was definitely placed upon me unexpectedly,\u201d Timmy said. \u201c As the spring season of my sophomore year began,  the team was tasked with voting for captains. The first two were obvious: fifth-year returning seniors. However, I had no idea I was even in contention to be the third captain. But, I was voted on to indeed be the third captain. A role I would maintain, by myself, for the next three years.\u201d Graduate student and long-time friend Payton Jones knows how much Timmy has been working, especially with the title of captain. \u201cHe always mentions to me how he feels he has to do things just because he is the captain of the team, which in a way helped him loosen up a bit,\u201d Payton said.  The responsibility of leading a team by making crucial decisions and inspiring his teammates was a challenge that Timmy embraced in stride.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     You can\u2019t help but admire Timmy\u2019s dedication and hard work. He\u2019s not just a natural athlete, but someone who has honed his skills over the years. Timmy\u2019s growth as a baseball player has been evident every season he\u2019s been at UMPI. \u201cAs a freshman, I was very quiet and shy. I stayed in my dorm a lot,\u201d Timmy said. \u201cI had some skills as a player, but was never confident about them. And as a teammate, I fit into the classic mold of not talking or moving unless told to by someone else while on the field or in the dugout. Today, I have the most confidence in my game that I’ve ever had, and I would like to think I am one of the most team-oriented and encouraging players on the roster, all while having an absolute blast all the time!\u201d     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     But what\u2019s truly impressive is how this journey of baseball excellence has gone hand in hand with personal growth. \u201cI remember first getting to Maine and the first few months he was quiet and shy. He has definitely opened up a lot more,\u201d Payton said. \u201cTaking on the leadership role I think excelled him in that way as well. He has been able to grow and build upon the leadership characteristics. I feel even into this year he will continue to grow his character more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Timmy\u2019s journey shows  the transformative power of sports. As he became a stronger baseball player, he also became a stronger individual. His shy exterior gave way to a confident leader who could motivate his team both on and off the field. \u201cOne piece of advice I will say, is to always go above and beyond to do the extra little things for a while, then step back and notice how others now treat you and how your role begins to change,\u201d Timmy said. \u201cTrust me, it can guide you into that role of being a leader that you didn’t originally think was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But this story is not just about Timmy Burns the athlete or the captain. It\u2019s about Timmy Burns, the person. He\u2019s a testament to the potential that resides within each of us as well as what we can bring out of the people around us. \u201cPlaying alongside Tim is an honor,\u201d Dakota said. \u201cHe is one of the best I have ever played on the same field with.\u201d His journey teaches us that with hard work and the right people around you, people can find their voice, take on leadership roles and inspire others to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Timmy Burns with Brian Morrison (Left), and Roger Stinson (Right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kyle Nichols     In our town of Presque Isle, UMPI does a tremendous job of bringing in students from states across the country. A lot of these students who come from far away are coming to play on one of UMPI\u2019s many sports teams. The state of Florida is one of the bigger states represented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/181"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8064,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7547\/revisions\/8064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}