In 1993, Marin Ferlic (Waynar) stepped onto the court as a left-side hitter for BGSU volleyball. Now, 31 years later, her daughter Cecily Waynar, takes the first steps on the same path as a middle blocker.
Cecily, number six on the volleyball team, shares not only her love for volleyball but her jersey number with her mother.
“It’s so special. Not a lot of people get to have that opportunity,” she said. “It reminds me that I’m representing something bigger than myself. It’s more than a game of volleyball; it’s my mom’s legacy, all of the alumni’s legacy.”
Marin said things lined up perfectly, and unexpectedly, for the jersey to make its way to Cecily.
“That jersey belonged to Petra Indrova, and she graduated the year before Cecily came on board,” she said. “That’s how it became available.”
When Cecily saw it was up for grabs, it was a no-brainer. The best part? Her mother had no idea.
“It was such an amazing honor and just a great expression of her love,” Marin said. “I didn’t know that was going to be happening.”
While the jersey became a symbol of honor between the two, Marin believes it is a matter of adding a new path, not just following in the footsteps.
“I want her to be her own person there. I don’t want this to be about what mom did at Bowling Green,” she said. “I want her to have her own journey and story.”
Even though Cecily is making new marks in the sand, there is still some history that holds on to the present.
“We have BG weekend every year, with at least four alumni friends, and we all wear our practice jerseys or fun t-shirts,” Marin said. “I gave Cecily my practice jersey.”
The team may be a new ‘set’ of people, but Cecily knew she would love BG long before the opportunity came.
“I had been on campus and seen a lot of this before I was even thinking about college,” she said. “Getting to know the coaches and the girls, and seeing everything first… I already knew I loved it.”
Besides the team and the community that comes with it, family is still an important support.
Marin and the rest of the family still make the best effort to attend games and cheer the team on. As for long days after practice, Cecily still calls home for the family support that she deems essential.
“It’s been huge. I still call my mom every single day, since I’ve been here,” she said. “If I can’t talk to my parents, there are so many people to talk to. It’s like extended family.”
Both expressed their deep gratitude for the team and the opportunity that allowed Cecily to become part of the BG family.
“I would like to add how grateful we are that she in the environment that she’s in; with the kind of coaches and teammates she has,” Marin said. “They have been present when we couldn’t be, and I have the utmost respect for the coaching staff, and the way they turn these girls into leaders.”
Marin encourages Cecily to begin her own journey while sending her unwavering support, knowing what Cecily needs to hear because she went through it herself.
“I told her, ‘You can expect this to be difficult, but don’t expect it to be impossible,’” Marin said.
For Cecily, the choice to come to BG really wasn’t even a decision.
“When I had the opportunity to play volleyball, it was like no decision needed to be made.”
