UMA has an amazing selection of sports. From baseball to volleyball to soccer; UMA has a lot of options. However, there are other sports that our lovely cadets do outside of school.
Lucas Innocenzi is part of Roy City’s swim team. “I thought swimming would be cool, so I joined when I was around 8 years old, and I’ve been swimming since.” Some differences that swimming has compared to other sports is obvious. It’s in water. Cadet Innocenzi adds that swimming helps you relax and clear your mind. This sport happens in the winter time, unless you do swim club team; then it is yearlong.
Kaleb Bellus and Kaycie Payne both do golf as their sport. Golfing typically happens in the springtime, however some people do it in the summer and fall. Both cadets got started into golf due to their families.
“You have a lot more opportunities to be looked at for your sport and to meet other people,” stated Cadet Payne. In the past, UMA used to have a golf team, however, there was a very low interest so the school canceled. In conclusion, in the famous words of Cadet Bellus,” Golf is not just for old people!”
Hockey is a fairly popular sport for the cadets at UMA. The following cadets play hockey, Hunter Bricco, Gavin Gray, Ashleigh Mayabb, Spencer Wright, TJ Taylor, Max Wright, Morgan McFarland, Erin May, Shaylah Polley, and Deagan Ross. The cool thing with hockey is that you get to meet kids from a variety of schools and ages.
“I play against both boys and girls. I play on an all girls team, which helps the team improve and we all share the same hype music!” stated Morgan McFarland.
Cadet Kate Santiago is one for volleyball. Not only does she do the UMA high school volleyball, but she also does club volleyball. “Playing club volleyball is very different. All of the players on my team have been playing volleyball for years, compared to school where we have new players every year. In club, we also have tournaments instead of one game.”
The advantages of playing club volleyball, according to Santiago, is that the team is able to push each other to compete on different levels. Since the season is from September to April, the teammates have time to get to know each other and become closer.
Cadets Chloe Ellis, Taylor Waite, and Clarissa Camp-Reynolds are part of an outside soccer team. By doing soccer outside of school, mainly during the spring and summer, they have an opportunity to receive scholarships.
“Doing soccer outside of school has more structure and it gives you another social aspect,” stated cadet Ellis. “The best part of doing a sport outside of school is not having to leave school and miss out on schoolwork. Also not having to worry about missing out on practices due to eligibility.”
Preston Fenton plays at Clearfield High School’s lacrosse team. He stated that the reason he started lacrosse was because of wrestling. “The team is bigger and playing in a higher division is great. I also get to make more friends with a variety of people.”
Cadet Aliyah Reynolds does competitive Tae-Kwon-Doe. Her inspiration for joining was because of Archery. “Tae-Kwon-Doe is a very difficult martial art. There are many forms a person has to learn to progress their skills. However, you do not need to worry about others’ opinions. You can grow a stronger bond with your peers.”
The lovely wing commander, Mallorie Andersen, isn’t just an Army cadet. She also participates in Irish Dance and Ballet! She has been dancing for two years now. “Irish dance and ballet is rather unique. It gives me an opportunity to do things UMA does not offer and be around non UMA people my age.” Along with her full plate of work and leadership, she puts between 1.5 – 5 hours of commitment in this sport.
