FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Adam Ammons, North Putnam

Adam Ammons is a senior at North Putnam and participates in football and track and field.

———

Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

Adam Ammons: “Sports are pretty important to me. They provide the escape that is needed from daily life. I don’t think I’d be the same person without them. I’ve learned how to work cohesively with others, and to put other people ahead of myself. There are more important things than just revolving everything around yourself.”

BG: As a lineman in football, that’s a good attitude to have. Do you like that role?

AA: “I don’t think there is any other place I’d like to be than on the line. I’ve played football since basically as early as I can remember. I think every lineman dreams of being a ballcarrier someday, but I’m perfectly happy where I am. I love ‘stacking’ people.”

BG: Did you play any other sports growing up?

AA: “I used to do baseball and basketball, and I still do track. Football is definitely the priority sport and the one I enjoy most.”

BG: How has this football season gone?

AA: “In the tournament, I think we can do well as long as everyone plays up to his potential. As a team, we have bonded extremely well from over the summer. We are a bunch of brothers and a giant family. We have worked really hard together, and we work well together. We have a lot of great coaches too.”

BG: What’s the hardest thing about being a lineman?

AA: “The conditioning. In the games, it’s recognizing the other team’s fronts and seeing who is going to be blitzing. Outside that, I think a lot of that is easy since I’ve been starting for three years.”

BG: What’s the most unusual thing that’s happened to you while playing sports?

AA: “This year against Greencastle, I broke my helmet and two sets of shoulder pads in the same game. It was so cold outside that the metal chest plates were just breaking. I played two full drives without a chest plate. Lucky none of them recognized it and got in a sternum shot.”

BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?

AA: “I am going to be working alongside our trainer [Adam Nicodemus] in his athletic trainer program once football is over. I’ll be working with the men’s basketball team.”

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

AA: “I like to hang out with friends and family, be social and have a good life with those I enjoy being around. I love to play with my nieces and nephews, and build a good bond with them. When I’m out with friends, anything we do is fun.”

BG: Do you have any rituals or superstitions that you go by in sports?

AA: “I am probably the only person on the team without any superstitions. They all have their favorite shirts they wear, or a certain kind of eye paint. I just go through my day.”

BG: What are your favorites in movies, TV and music?

AA: “I’m a fan of comedy in both TV and movies, and in movies I also like action. In music, I like every genre except hard rock.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

AA: “Bungee jumping. That would be so terrifying, but also very enthralling.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

AA: “Either heights or drowning. The thought of drowning is scary.”

BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?

AA: “My favorite is chicken parmigiana, and my least favorite is broccoli.”

BG: If your house were on fire, and all living things were safe, what is one sentimental thing you would go back and get?

AA: “My mother made me a senior banner for Senior Night, and I’d grab that.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

AA: “Hawaii. My sister and her kids live there. I hadn’t seen them for the longest time, but I was really happy there.”

BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?

AA: “It’s really great knowing I have family and friends around. If I struggle, they are there for me. It’s great to have somebody around to help me.”

BG: Describe your overall school experience, both academically and athletically.

AA: “Going through these schools has been a great time, and I couldn’t ask for much more [except a couple more field trips]. I’ve gotten a good education, and the people around me have helped me get ready for success.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

AA: “I would like to go to either DePauw or the University of Indianapolis. I want to go into athletic training or physical therapy, whichever one makes the most money. I have always wanted to be able to help people, and being in the athletic training program has really gotten me interested. I also want to play football.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

AA: “Mr. [Joseph] Cialkowski in science and Mrs. [Kristy] Lippencott in math have always been very good teachers and always there for students.”

BG: After college, do you have plans to live somewhere in the mountains or on the beach, or do you want to live around here?

AA: “Hawaii would be awesome, but I like being around my family so I wouldn’t want to move too far away.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

AA: “It’s definitely gone by fast, and I actually wish I had more time. I’m going to miss it. Every freshman thinks it’s not going to go fast, but it definitely flies by. I encourage everyone to get as involved as they can.”

BG: Sometime in the next month or so you’ll take off the pads for the last time. How sad will that be?

AA: “It will be extremely sad, and I hate thinking about it. I want to delay the inevitable as long as I can.”