Tiffani Lee’s journey has taken her from Baker School's athletic venues to Miami courtrooms.
The lawyer, a 1988 Baker graduate voted Most Likely To Succeed, traces much of her success to her Gator days.
KNOWING YOUR ROLE
Lee was an all-district and second-team all-state basketball player her senior year on a team ranked fifth in the state at one time.
In addition to basketball, she was a member of the track and field team, competing in the 100-yard dash, the 440 relay, the high jump and the triple jump. Lee was the 1988 Class 1A triple jump state champion with a 35-foot, 3-inch leap.
She also played volleyball through her junior year.
All of these experiences contributed to the person she is today.
“Being on a team helped me learn my role,” Lee said. “When I was at Baker, I was the center on the basketball team, and I knew what my role was.
“In law, you work on a case and, with multiple people, you have to figure out what I can contribute and how I can work well on the team. All of those things are directly related to (skills) that I can apply to my life.”
'YOU JUST RUN AROUND TOGETHER'
Lee fondly remembers the years when females were finding their place as athletes.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “A lot of talented players were just trying to come together to compete as a little 1A school in the middle of nowhere.
"One of the good things about growing up in a smaller town is you don’t have a lot of other distractions, so you just run around together and play the games."
Baker, at the time, had an exceptional football team, so "we always felt we were overshadowed by the men’s sports at times, and we were trying to carve out our own niche and be respected," Lee said.
Being on the track team wasn’t so easy. The school lacked a high-jump pit and many coaches were still learning the triple jump.
“I was coached by Coach (Gene) Parrish, and his son, who was at Florida State, would come back and coach us in the triple jump,” Lee said. "I learned how to triple jump from him.
“The funny thing about Baker was we didn’t have a place to practice the high jump, so we would have to go to other schools early before actual meets and practice.”
TEACHERS REALLY CARED
Lee may be in Miami, but she hasn’t forgotten her Baker roots.
“(Attending Baker School) was a great preparation for life,” she said. “I tell a lot of people down here in Miami I felt like I got a private-school education in a public school.
“We had small classes. Everybody knew everybody. The teachers knew you and they really cared about making sure you progressed.”
Lee said Jim Berry, her basketball coach, constantly pushed her to work hard and set a high bar for success that has stayed with her through the years.
She is proud of her place in Baker athletics and equally proud of how the program has grown since she graduated.
“I think girls athletics overall have dramatically improved,” she said.
Lee encourages young women to follow her path and participate in sports.
“The life lessons are great,” she said. “The physical fitness is great. I just can’t imagine growing up without playing sports.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CENTENNIAL: Baker sports prepared standout athlete for legal career