Spartan Times

Athlete of the week: Ryan Canella

Compiled by Michelle Einzinger and Bryanna McFadden

“He gets every ball even when he is injured, he is leading off the team for a good season, he gets down and dirty.”          –Head baseball coach Tom Cassera

Height: 5’8’’
Age:18
Hometown: Woodland Park, Colorado
Here to study: the basics
Position: catcher
What got you started in your sport: I’ve been playing my whole life.
Tell us about yourself: I like to listen to music and ride motorcycles. I have three pets: two dogs (Buddy, a Jack Russell terrier, Taz, a chocolate lab/pitbull), and a cat named Tigger.
Favorite motivational quote: “You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You’ve got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.” –Earl Weaver
How much you train a day: four hours a day on weekdays, eight hours on weekends
What motivates you: the thought that there are always people out on the field who are better than you.
What advice you’d give aspiring athletes: if you only practice when the team practices, you will never get better than the person who is better than you.
How long you’ve participated in your sport: all my life
What other sports you played in high school: football
Your biggest accomplishment in your sport: being given the opportunity to play college baseball
Best advice you were given: it is impossible to achieve perfection, but you can get pretty damn close.
Whether you’re planning to play your sport after graduating from CNCC: yes
What tasks you have to do to get you where you are now: practice all the time no matter what season it is. Constantly lift weights. Always be fine tuning my skills in every area of the game. There is always something you can improve.
Who taught you your skills: lots and lots of coaches, as well as my dad, who would always be willing to help me.
Who is your athlete idol: Cal Ripken, Jr.
The greatest moment of your athletic career: We were playing a game that we had to win to make playoffs. We were down by two in the sixth and the bases were loaded. I was up to bat and hit a double to the right center gap to drive in three runs and put us ahead.
How you motivate your teammates: by always telling them to leave it all on the field. You never know when your last day is that you get to suit up and leave it all on the field. You could lose your ability to play at any moment.
Your goal to complete this sport: play as long as I can and at the highest level I can, then at least I gave it all I could.

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