Aye Aye, Captain

Amancai BirabenStaff WriterAs the old adage goes, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” This mantra applies to many Samo team captains. Some players exhibited leadership skills from a young age. Others, have developed the leadership skills over the years.Captains are commonly thought to be outgoing people by nature, but senior girls’ varsity soccer captain Cristina Battaglia says her leadership position helped her come out of her shell. When she was a sophomore on the team, Battaglia was very shy, and therefore thought that being a captain was not a possibility for her.“As one of the younger players on the team [sophomore year], I didn’t speak up much and I never saw myself as a leader, but I always wanted to be a captain,” Battaglia said. “With the help of my coaches—both high school and club—I grew as a player and a person, and I realized that being a captain was an attainable [goal].”Once she decided that she wanted to be a captain, she worked hard to earn the respect of her teammates and coaches, and it paid off when they selected her to be one of the two captains for this year. Having a set goal to be captain caused her to morph into a more vocal person.When senior Ethan Kahan became a co-captain of the varsity boys’ volleyball team, he says he had to tone down his funny side.“I had to be less goofy and become a person who people took seriously,” Kahan said.According to Kahan, he helped to guide the team last year which prepared him for the role of co-captain.“I had most of the qualities that a captain should have, but not all. I still had to work on not being silly during important times,” Kahan said.Last year, Kahan had a pivotal moment in his volleyball career that gave him the confidence boost he needed to seek the role of co-captain.“At a game in a tournament last year, we were huddled and I realized everyone was staring at me to say something,” Kahan said. “So I had to figure something out. [Seeing] how my teammates looked up to me was my turning point.”Both Kahan’s father and coach Liane Sato have helped him develop his people skills.“My dad works with hotels and he deals with a lot of different people,” Kahan said. “He and Sato have given me many tips [in that area].”Varsity volleyball player Dane Keckin hopes to have the torch passed off to him next year. In preparation, he has been trying to lead the team in small ways.“I try to be loud and talk a lot on the court and make friends with everyone on the team,” Keckin said. “It’s important for everyone to trust you and like you for them to follow you.”Because he has been leading the team more so than he used to, he has discovered how much of an impact he has on his team.“I think I’ve gained a lot of confidence through trying to be a leader. I used to be just another guy on the team, and now I feel like I’m someone that the guys look up to,” Keckin said.Karina Sandoval, one of the track team’s several captains has always had a thirst for becoming captain, and believes the skills came naturally.“It was not challenging at all [adapting to being captain] because I always felt like I was a leader to the girls on the team,” Sandoval said.Sandoval also acknowledged past team captains for setting a good example.“I always look back to my captain from freshman year,” Sandoval said.  “She was fun, loving and caring which made me want to remain on the track team. Her enthusiasm and love for running inspired me to want to someday be captain.”Boys’ varsity swim co-captain senior Brian Kong believes that, while he is a leader who his teammates look up to, he often finds himself inspired by them.“My teammates are like my second family. We joke around all the time and are very close,” Kong said. “I am by no means the fastest swimmer, and often times I am the one looking up to my peers.”Though Kong hadn’t had much experience being a team leader, his experiences in Boy Scouts set a foundation for what to expect.“Although this is my first time being a captain in athletics, I have been a Boy Scout for over 11 years,” Kong said. “Some of the experiences and lessons I’ve learned from there have carried over.”Because current cheer co-captain Hayley Jones has always possessed leadership qualities, she hoped to eventually become a co-captain.“I have always been a competitive person, so leadership qualities came naturally, although I have acquired some skills by observing past captains,” Jones said.Even though she had a guiding personality, she didn’t always know if she could carry out leading an entire squad.“At first, I questioned if I could live up to the expectations, but I was very confident that I could fulfill the role successfully,” Jones said.Cheerleader Dominique Parks is following in Jones’ footsteps to become a captain as well. Jones along with other captains have been Parks’ main source of inspiration.“I have tried to see what I had admired about previous captains, and do things along the same lines. I think I’m just more open as a person now and am willing to grasp new ideas and techniques,” Parks said.Whether the skills needed to assume a leadership role were evident at birth or had to be achieved, all team captains must grow in order to set an example for the rest.“Not everyone is born to be a good leader, but I believe that with a little extra hard work, dedication and hard earned respect, one can be a great captain,” Battaglia said.abiraben@thesamohi.com