It's easy being Kermit Cannon

Chelsea BrandweinSports EditorThe Samo boys' baseball team congregated on the Greek’s stage Wednesday, creating a masterpiece of blue and gold. Weights cluttered the isles separating one row of players from another, and, standing stoic like an orchestra conductor anticipating the first downbeat, was Kermit Cannon; Samo’s Strength and Conditioning coach for the last nineteen years and one of the thirty eight recipients of the White House’s 2011 Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Community Leadership Award.This award is given out annually to individuals who devote their time to improving the lives of members of their communities by promoting the importance of physical activity and by providing opportunities for community members to get involved in sports and other physical activities. With all this hype, Cannon has become somewhat of a celebrity at Samo and in the community.Cannon was a three-time record-holder on Culver City High School’s Track and Field team and is a former competitor for San Diego State University. He first started working at Samo alongside the late Norm Lacy, leading a program called “The Beast Factory.” This program aimed at helping youth who struggled with eating disorders or obesity.A few years later, volleyball coach Liane Sato was the first to look to Cannon for team training.This created a domino effect. Cannon is now training five Samo sports teams including the baseball teams and the swimming and water polo teams.“[Kermit] has been great with all of us. With him we’re all comfortable because we know he knows exactly what he is doing and always has our best interests in mind,” varsity girls’ waterpolo player Chum Alvarez-Zakson said. “With Kermit, it’s easy being a Greenie.”Last year, Cannon was responsible for the training of two CIF winning teams – the girls’ basketball team and the boys’ volleyball team and players are quick to agree that Cannon’s training contributed to their wins.“Kermit helped us get in really good shape and that prevented a lot of injuries,” junior and member of last year’s CIF winning boys' volleyball team, Dane Keckin said.Aside from his work with Samo sports teams, Cannon has his own company called Youth Sports Training, a company that Cannon created for the purpose of providing specialized training programs to youth ranging from age eight to seventeen. Since receiving his Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Award, the company has seen substantial growth and much publicity has been stirred up for the fall release of his training book: "The Beast Factory." But even with his company taking Santa Monica by storm and the publication of his book right around the corner, Cannon has no intention of leaving his post as Samo’s strength and conditioning coach.“I still love working with the tireless coaches of Samo and their tremendous students,” Cannon said. He later added, “My favorite thing about working with aspiring athletes or students is when they see me after they have graduated or gone on to pro-careers and tell me how much my program helped them mentally and physically.”cbrandwein@thesamohi.com