Athletes, Sam Cannon and Adrienne Wachtman, discuss the fall season and how they balance being three-sport athletes.
By Ayah Elsheikh, ’20 and Callia Peterson, ’22.
Sophomore Sam Cannon is a three-season athlete. Photo by Grace Call
SOPHOMORE SAM CANNON
IThis last season, Cannon was the wide receiver for the varsity football team. He recalled a highlight moment of the season in a game against Lancaster.
“I had a touchdown at 100 receiving yards,” he said. “[It was] probably my best game of the year.”
Cannon was the leading receiver for the game, contributing to a 31-21 victory.
Moving on from the field, next season Cannon will be taking the ice. He is looking forward to a strong season with his teammates.
“I’m really excited [about] hockey. It’s the best sport at the high school,” Cannon said.
In assessing the strengths and weaknesses of other schools, Cannon is hopeful that his team will be successful this year after losing at the District Semifinals last year.
“I think we’re going be able to beat [the competition] and hopefully go to the final four,” said Cannon.
Jumping from one sport to the next, Cannon has little time off. Despite the exhaustion that sometimes comes with constant practices and games, he looks at it all in a positive light.
“I like it. It keeps me active,” Cannon said. “And I play with a lot of my friends too, so it’s kind of fun.”
The sophomore is taking the next few years of sports at the high school as they come, Cannon said,
“[Moving forward, my goals are] just to continue to get better as an athlete and hopefully do special things at UA.”
Senior Adrienne Wachtman is a three-season athlete. Photo by Grace Call
SENIOR ADRIENNE WACHTMAN
Treading water with the Bears in the lead, senior Adrienne Wachtman heard the rewarding sound of the buzzer signaling the end of the biggest game of the season.
Wachtman, a goalie for the girls water polo team, played her last game in Cincinnati, where her team won the state championship.
“Winning states was one of the best feelings in the world,” Wachtman said. “Being part of that team was great.”
Wachtman was a novice in the water when she joined the team in her sophomore year.
“My mom can attest that I was the worst swimmer in the family [before I joined the team],” Wachtman said. “I’d never really gone through a ton of formal swim lessons. I could swim from one end of the pool to the other but that was about it.”
However, after her first two weeks on the team, she picked up the motions and began building strength for lunging and being explosive in the water. She said the practices were the hardest part of her transition.
“The conditioning part was absolutely horrendous; not to mention the morning practices,” Wachtman said. “But goalie-wise, it was very similar to what I learned in soccer.”
The senior’s sports lineup does not end with water polo. When the season ended, Wachtman traded the pool for the basketball court. She started her fourth year on the varsity girls basketball. She also took on the role of captain and plans to help the team find unity.
“I’m definitely going to have to hold myself to a higher standard both on and off the court to set an example for what we strive for,” she said. “[This year] instead of just thinking about playing, it’s going to be a lot more thinking about how we can get this team to work together.”
Following the basketball season, Wachtman will be taking on her third sport. Like basketball, she has been a part of the varsity track team since freshman year. This will also be her third year as a track team captain.
“[The sports have] been time consuming to say the least, but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Wachtman said. “I love doing sports. It’s my passion.”
One of Wachtman’s favorite things about her sports are her teammates.
“You go through those grueling practices together [and] you get through those tough games, and that ends up making a really strong bond between everyone,” she said. “It’s a bond that’s going to last forever. I absolutely know that some of these girls are probably going to be at my wedding.”
At the collegiate level, Wachtman plans on continuing participating in sports.
“I really want to keep pursuing my athletic career in college,” she said. “I definitely want to continue basketball and track.”