The first Tuesday of each month, we interview someone from Charlotte Latin Athletics with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
This month, we learn about junior Ryan Burrell. A Latin Lifer, violinist in the orchestra, and a captain on the volleyball team, Ryan is an All-Conference, All-State, and All-Observer honoree who continues to excel on the court. Read on to get to know a bit about Ryan.
 
1. Tell us a little about the Burrells and your family dynamic.
There's my dad, Charles, and my mom, Janel. Then it's my sister, Raegan, who graduated from Latin in 2020, and me. Our family dynamic is just love. We are a very closeknit family and we are always saying we love each other. We are always each other's biggest fans.
 
2. How would you describe your relationship with Raegan?
There's a big age gap between us, so when we were younger, we didn't have anything in common. As we've gotten older, we have a lot more to talk about and we're like best friends now. She's lived a lot more life than I have, so she has a great perspective and gives me really good advice. We're super close.
 
3. You've been at Latin since kindergarten, so what have been your most memorable and most challenging classes?
My math class last year was the best class I ever had. Geometry isn't meant to be fun, but the energy in that class was so great. We were all friends and I loved my teacher, Ms. Matrejek. I still talk to her a lot. This year, history with Mr. Brunton is really fun. We tend to get off track on random things, but it's entertaining. My most challenging class is Spanish 4 Honors. It's known to be a difficult class, but it's pushing me to get better at Spanish and my goal is to be fluent, so it's good. Señora Frederick is super knowledgeable and she definitely prepares us well so we don't feel lost. It's just hard material.
 
4. Who have been some of your most impactful mentors at Latin?
Mrs. Putman, my seventh-grade history teacher. History has never been my favorite. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. But she made me want to go to class. She's so smart and she really cares for you as a person. She still checks in on me all the time, which is super sweet. Mrs. Vanneste is one of my trusted adults that I can go to if I need anything. She taught my sister, then me in Middle School, and it's great to have her now in Upper School. Coach Peters is a mentor too. We're so similar. She calls me her mini me. We are both so passionate about volleyball and she makes it so much fun. I love that I have had the opportunity to play for her and I will miss her so much when I graduate.
 
5. Outside of academics and athletics, are you involved in other CLS activities?
I play the violin and I really enjoy orchestra. I love Mrs. Howard and Mrs. Wargo. I've had them since fifth grade, so they've seen me grow up. I'm in Baby Bundles and it's really cool knowing that these small acts of kindness can have a big impact on a kid or their family. I also enjoyed being an Admissions Ambassador. I love being able to showcase Latin and telling people that if they have the opportunity to come here, they should take it.
 
6. Do you remember the first organized sport you participated in? How did your athletic journey evolve into what it is now?  
My first organized sport could have been volleyball, because I started very young at Carolina Courts. But it also could have been soccer. Basically, as soon as I could walk, I was throwing, dribbling and trying to play sports with my dad. I played soccer at WCWAA, did swim lessons at Little Otter, played church league basketball with some friends. I also did horseback riding, which is really cool. I did English saddle seat on American Saddlebred, which is a type of horse. I had a pretty successful career in it, but it's expensive and takes a lot of time, so eventually I gave it up to focus on volleyball.  
 
7. You focus on volleyball year-round, so how does your Latin season compare to your club experience?
Club volleyball is full-on for nine months. Everyone I'm competing with and against is the best of the best, so it's really high intensity. School volleyball is a little more relaxed environment, which is really nice. We obviously want to do well, make it to the finals and win states, but not everyone on our team plays club so there's just a different mindset.
 
8. How have you seen the Latin volleyball program evolve over the past several years?
When Coach Peters first got here and my sister was playing, the team wasn't very good or winning a lot. Coach Peters was so determined to make it better. She really took the time to develop individuals and make them better. She also makes everyone want to win, so they're willing to put in the work to get there.
 
9. Last year, the team was 29-1 and in the state championship final. It was an exciting game, with a huge crowd, but North Raleigh got the win. How did it feel to play in that environment and how did you navigate the loss?
I love playing in a loud environment and I feed off of that energy, but you can't focus on it. You have to tune out the noise and think of it as a regular game. Throughout that game, I just tried to stay calm and keep the people next to me calm too. The main thing is just believing in yourself and your team. The loss stung for a little bit, but if you look at our overall season, we built such great relationships and had so many great moments, so many little shared moments. It makes it easier to cherish those and focus on the positive overall experience.
 
10. Three seniors graduated last year and the team got some new additions. Has that changed the dynamic?
We were a bit older last year and we had played with each other for awhile, so it's definitely changed. There was new energy, good energy, but different. It took some time for us to build the trust and cohesiveness, but I'd say we're there now. It really started to click in September. We all love each other and want to win, so taking that time early in the season to focus on developing our relationships was really important.
 
11. You recently surpassed the 1,000 digs milestone. Was that one of your goals?
It was definitely a goal I wanted to achieve, but I didn't focus on it and I really wasn't expecting to hit it in my junior year because I just started playing libero as a sophomore. My parents and coach believing in me and supporting me definitely made that easier to achieve. My main goal, though, is winning a championship. I got a lot of individual accolades last year, and it was nice, but we really want to get the championship.
 
12. Recruiting opened up for you over the summer. What are your thoughts so far about college and possibly continuing your volleyball career there?
I'm so excited for college and am doing my best to set myself up for that. I definitely want to do something with nursing. I think I want to be a nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist. And I do want to play volleyball in college. Even though recruiting opened on June fifteenth, it was just the beginning of a long process and I knew I didn't want to make a decision too quickly. The person you are going into your junior year is different than the person you're going to be leaving your senior year. I want to make sure the decision is the right one, so I want to take my time and not feel pressured.
 
13. What are the aspects of volleyball you like the most and the least?   
I like a lot of things about it. I'd say one of the best aspects is the trust you build. You really have to trust the people next to you to play as one unit. It's a really great life lesson as well. And celebrating with your teammates when it all comes together is such a great feeling. I'd say the aspect I like the least is the pressure. It can be tough to be one of the more experienced athletes on the team and you never want to underperform or let your teammates down, so you instinctively put pressure on yourself. Volleyball is a hard sport mentally. There are so many mistakes and you just have to let them go. Learning how to do that makes you grow as an athlete and as a person.  
 
14. Alright, let's finish with some fun questions. What's a hobby, talent or skill most people don't know you have?
I'm kind of good at drawing. I doddle in my free time. I used to take art but eventually I had to narrow it down to one elective and I stuck with orchestra. But I really like art.
 
15. Do you have any pets?
I used to have husky named Dakota, but she passed in 2020. I would like to have a pet, but I have too much going on right now. When I'm older and living on my own, I want four big dogs.
 
16. If time and money were no issue, where would you travel and why?
I would go to Italy and see all of the things. I want to see the different culture, explore all of the cities, enjoy all of the food. That's my dream vacation.
 
17. What is your favorite sports movie?
Remember the Titans. That movie is so good. The message that it sends goes beyond sports. Everyone should watch it, whether you play sports or not.
 
18. If you're alone in the car, what are you listening to?
I have so many different music types, it just depends on what the vibe is or what I'm feeling in the moment. I listen to pop, house music, country. I love John Summit. I might be going to his concert with friends next month.
 
19. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV?
I hate to say it, but football. I should say volleyball, but we have people over all the time to watch football games and everyone is talking, watching and eating together. The food's always good and it's just fun to be together.  
 
20.  What have you learned about yourself or life in general through your experiences in sports?
I've learned that the hard moments in your sport show you who you really are. Being in high pressure situations showed me that I have the ability to stay poised and calm and do my best. Sports also taught me that making mistakes is okay. You learn from them and you bounce back.