Ever since she was little, Lexi Cummer (‘26) has been coached by her dad, Toney Cummer. Last year, Toney Cummer was hired to be the varsity volleyball coach, allowing their bond to grow even stronger. Their dynamic is unique in that they have to work together as both father and daughter and coach and player. The Cummers’ have had a lot of experience together as coaches and athletes but they’ve had to create boundaries to separate practice from home life.

“He’s coached me since I started,” Lexi Cummer said. “My dad always tells me that he’s not my dad at practice, he is just my coach.”

Toney Cummer implements coaching strategies that can both be used at home and on the gym floor while taking into account his relations with other team members.

“He does a lot of hands-on demonstrations,” Lexi Cummer said. “So it’s very step-by-step.”

Toney Cummer’s hands-on approach can teach a lot of lessons to Lexi Cummer and his athletes. Lexi Cummer has learned a lot about what it means to be a coach and can take her father’s teachings as a means to learn more about the sport.

“My biggest takeaway is that it’s important to be open to other ideas of coaching,” Lexi Cummer said. “He is pretty much the only coach I’ve had. He coached me at softball when I was younger too. So it’s good to be open to other styles of coaching because not everyone is the same as him.

The volleyball team has seen a lot of success under Toney Cummer so far this year. Her favorite memory with her dad was winning the National Championship last year. She remarked that this resonated with her the most in regards to her experiences with her dad being her coach.

They know what they’re doing, and their bond has created a huge advantage for them on the court. It appears that the Chelsea volleyball team is in good hands this year.