Behind the Badger: Sam ‘bam’ Cardona

By Juan Lugos
Sports Reporter

Q: Why are people starting to call you “Sam Bam Cardona?” 

1. During one of our games, the announcer announced me as Sam Bam Cardona, which surprised me a bit. He asked if I was okay with that, and I responded with a definite “yes.” I believe the nickname is cool and funny and brings a lot of joy to me.

Q: Who was your biggest inspiration growing up either in sports or outside of them?

1. I would definitely have to say that my brother was my biggest inspiration growing up. He has been my coach since the second grade and has always believed in me. As I got older, he sat down with me and convinced me that I could play volleyball at the next level, which led to countless hours of training and practice. Thanks to him, here I am today playing at the college level. 

Q: What was your mindset going into the recent tournament hosted by Amarillo College? 

1. We, as a team, wanted to prove the grit and grind that we had demonstrated in previous practices against our competition. We definitely also wanted to keep a good record before going into conference play to help boost our confidence. The wins against Trinidad and Butler at the tournament also helped us.

Q: What is your current role for this team coming in as a freshman? 

1. As a freshman-based team with only five sophomores on the roster, I believe that every freshman has an important role on this team. I feel like my energy and positivity is a big asset to this team as I am always trying to bring my teammates up and encourage them. 

Q: What goes through your mind during games when you are not on the court?

1. I believe being off the court can be good for me sometimes, as I do get to watch how the team performs and be able to give that constructive criticism. If I’m not helping on the court, I make sure that I help off of it as well with encouragement and cheering for my teammates. 

Q: What’s something that most people do not know about you?

1. One thing that many people did not know about me when I first got to AC was that I’m bilingual. I grew up learning Spanish and English at the same time because Spanish is my dad’s native language.   

Q: What do you want your teammates to remember you for when you are all said and done here at AC? 

1. I would say that I would want them to remember me for my growth here at AC as well as my positivity and energy. My teammates have done a great job at acknowledging my current growth now and hopefully that continues. 

Q: If your volleyball mentality were a song, what would it be?

1. A song that correlates with my heart would be “Hello” by Martin Solveig, which is also my hype song.

Q: How do you balance academics with athletics?

1. Turning in assignments early and not waiting until the last minute to get my work done is important to find balance. I have found that communicating with my professors and sharing my volleyball schedule with them has helped me tremendously. 

Q: What are your goals for this season?

1. As a team, I would say that our goal this season is to make it to the national tournament. I also want to build a good environment for this team, especially going into our sophomore year where we will all be together again.  

Q: What was your commitment journey like when you decided to come to AC? 

1. My senior year of high school, I was not too sure if I was going to play college volleyball because I missed out on the club season. It was a confusing time for me and my family at that time, but they were always supportive. In May of my senior year, I decided to start sending emails to colleges to see who would respond. Within 30 minutes of me sending those emails Scott, head coach at AC, responded and invited me to come check out the school. He then offered me a spot here on the team at AC during my visit, and two hours later I called him and committed to AC.