Calli McMullen started dancing when she was just two years old. Ballet is a passion she’s pursued for almost as long as she can remember.
Even when her family decided to pack their bags and move to a small town called Midgeville, Georgia, she continued to find a way to dance. Ballet was something that she could take with her anywhere.
While she was dancing, the time came for her brother to go to high school. Her family wanted her brother to go somewhere in this new town of theirs where he could grow and have incredible opportunities. The high schools in the area were the public school, a few private schools, and Georgia Military College.
GMC, which “embraced a dual focus on advancing intellect and developing character,” was just what her family was looking for. Being the younger sister, and watching her brother have the chance to grow and develop, when the time came, she decided this was the path for her as well.
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When entering high school, her horizons broadened to include so much more than dance. She took the chance to do a little bit of everything. She worked on the yearbook, started cheerleading, and joined a gymnastics team. But through it all, ballet was still her focus.
It was a part of her life she couldn’t give up. Despite all her other activities, she continued to dedicate summers and hours after school to her passion. She learned advanced ballet techniques under incredible teachers.
“Dance not only demanded weekly practices, but we also had practices on the weekends,” said McMullen. “Time management was such a huge part of it all. I had to sit down and plan my schedule, day by day, to the hour because things were hectic. It was really fun, but there were some days that were hard.”
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Her hard work would soon pay off, but not in a way that she could have ever imagined.
Knowing her background in ballet and cheerleading, she was singled out by a track coach from her high school. Knowing that she had the ability to jump from her previous training, they invited her to join the team as a high jumper.
Despite her other obligations, McMullen leapt at the chance to tackle a new challenge.
The invitation to join the high jumpers was only the beginning of her track journey though. One fateful day during practice, the team got in trouble with the coach.
“I don’t even remember what happened, but all of a sudden he told everyone to line up. I didn’t have any track spikes. I had cheer shoes. I was racing in cheer shoes, and I was beating the people on the team. That’s when the coaches said, “Ok, you’re not just a high jumper. You’re going to run.”
Her journey started off slowly, mainly running short distance relays and training to become a better track athlete. It wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that things began to change and her coaches realized her potential in the 400 and other sprints. This discovery led her coaches to switch her immediately to the 400-meter dash. It was hard at first. She had to learn how to change her movements from the elegant grace she had familiarized herself with, into the direct precise movements that running demanded.
“Ballet is more structured toward pointing your toes and being very graceful,” she added. “Still strong, but graceful and soft movements. Track is very direct, very flexed feet.”
When her senior year finally hit, she was a focused 400-meter runner with a lot of talent, and just starting out in the 200-meter dash. Recruiters came and began to vie for her attention. Among them, the coaches from Army West Point.
She was ready for Army when they came though not only because was she an on-the-rise athlete at a military high school, she was also the school’s Battalion Commander.
“That was the highest position in the high school and it was given to a senior,” McMullen said. “There is a battalion commander for the middle school and high school and there is the regimental commander at the college. Some of my responsibilities were just checking in on everyone in the battalion and doing daily inspections.
“Overall, I think it was a pretty challenging job, but I think it’s also a very fulfilling job. You have students that are filling these military positions and learning what it’s like to manage at that level.”
She knew that all of these factors would interest the Academies and was even warned in advance by a close friend and previous Battalion Commander.
“It was my senior year and I got a call from one of my friends who is currently a firstie at the Air Force Academy. He was a previous Battalion Commander, and he said, “You know Calli, as the Battalion Commander people are going to try to get you to go to an Academy.”
She could tell already though, that Army was the place she would end up.
“Being recruited for track, having the relationship with the Lt. General at the school I was at, who was a graduate from West Point, also helped. He was able to give me advice and point me in the right direction.
“I decided to run track at West Point. It was a huge decision, and I didn’t expect it to happen.”
During BEAST Barracks, the summer before her plebe year, she had a chance to meet the track coaches and introduce herself as a 400-meter runner. As the early stages of her collegiate track training went on, they quickly realized that she would shine in sprints and made the switch to the 200-meter dash, where she has achieved incredible levels of success. She consistently comes out on top and has set three season bests for the team this year alone in the 60, 200, and 400-meter runs.
McMullen's list of accolades is already a long one after a short career. She was named Patriot League Female Rookie of the Meet at the 2017 Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the champion in the 100-meter dash. She earned first team All-Patriot League in the event and second team honors in the 200 meters and as member of the 4x100 meter relay team. Most recently, McMullen was a first team selection in the 60-meter dash and the 200 in this year's indoor championship meet.
Now a sophomore at West Point, her main focus athletically is track and sprints. When she goes home, McMullen’s old teachers invite her back to classes, but the hours and energy she used to dedicate to ballet and dance, she now funnels into running and constantly getting better. She often sees parallels between the two sports and how each of her passions have helped the other.
“Being in dance I not only learned balance and technique, but I learned patience and teamwork building,” she said.
Her ballet schedule demanded classes a couple of times a week in the evening, but on the weekends she had rehearsals for hours for whatever show she was a part of. The dance coaches would make the class practice routines relentlessly until they got it right.
For track, she says the practices are more condensed, and it’s more structured, especially here at West Point.
McMullen couldn’t imagine her life without track now. It’s allowed her to grow and develop in a variety of ways. While she misses dance sometimes, she’s so thankful for the start it gave her and the new passion it helped begin. Overall, she thinks her experiences in both sports have helped her excel.
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“To make a dance and to go on stage and have it come all together is so spectacular to me,” she said. “I remember being backstage and being so nervous, but then when the lights go up and the crowds out there, you hit the stage and just become calm and collected. It’s a similar feeling I have when I’m on the track too. Before my race, I’m freaking out and pacing back and forth. But as soon as I hit the track and get in the blocks, I’m fine.”
Track has become a huge part of her life. It has made her physically stronger as an athlete, and mentally stronger for her future role as an officer. Her time with track has given her a sense of self-confidence and has allowed her to evolve into a strong and successful athlete.