Latham leading on and off the court
Windthorst senior Camryn Latham knew when she was young that she wanted to grow up and be a Trojanette when she got to high school.
“I have two older sisters so I remember watching them. It’s been six or seven years but I remember wanting to be like them when I was younger because they were so good, going to the state tournament every year. I told myself ‘one day that’s going to be me and I’m going to make it there.’”
Although she hasn’t quite achieved that last goal, she does have one more year to get it done. The fiery sparkplug is doing what she can to help the team reach new heights and return to greatness.
“I’m trying to keep a positive mindset and help the team go as far as we can. I want to make it to state. I want to win district and make it far in the playoffs. I want to have fun and for all the freshman and sophomores on the team to continue to have fun. I want the Trojanettes to be successful for the next 200 years.”
Latham was forced into a leadership role last season due to a lack of upperclassmen. As a junior, she received Defensive Player of the Year honors with 20 kills, 18 aces, 17 assists and 432 digs.
“I realized I needed to be that shoulder people could lean on last season,” Latham explained. “I knew I couldn’t act like a freshman or sophomore any more. I couldn’t fall apart when I made a mistake or get angry when someone else made a mistake. I couldn’t give up when we were losing. I realized I can’t be selfish. I had more experience than other people and they relied on me to get through those tough moments and tough games. I felt like I needed to be there for my friends and show them that I’m going to help them win.”
Ever since Latham started on varsity as a sophomore, Windthorst Head Coach Allison Bussey knew she had something special.
“She has that leader mentality on the court,” Bussey said. “She’s very vocal. Everybody knows what to do because she directs the defense. I have her taking a little more responsibility on taking the second ball when the setter takes the first ball. She has improved at that so much in that area. Her serve-receive has improved so much. She’s a leader on the court for us as a go-to person.”
According to Bussey, the biggest difference in Latham’s game from her sophomore to senior season is maturity.
“I always joke with her, when she was younger, she would get so frustrated with herself. If she made a mistake, she didn’t want to look at me. She wouldn’t make eye contact and just wanted to avoid the situation. I had to get on to her for that a little bit but I knew it wasn’t her being disrespectful. It was her way of getting mad at herself for making an error. She’s definitely matured in that aspect. I can remember her nervousness and being timid as a sophomore. It got better last season and this season she has made leaps and bounds with her leadership and demeanor overall. She’s somebody we’ve got to have on the court to make things run smoothly.”
The spunky libero has already created quite the legacy in the Blue and White. She already knows how she wants to be remembered.
“I want to be remembered as the person who never gave up. Even if we’re losing 20 to 1, I would still encourage my teammates to push to 10 then push to 15 then push to 20 then try to win it. I want people to remember me as the girl that enjoyed every sport that she played; someone that wanted to go to practice; wanted to go to games; wanted to win. I would choose Windthorst every time even with the wins and losses.”
With Latham’s ne’er say die attitude, the Trojanettes might once again rise to former glory.
