Erickson looks back on a busy and successful four-sport high school career

WARDEN — A four-sport athlete is not someone you often come across due to the time and dedication it takes for success in one sport, but for Amaya Erickson, tackling that challenge was something she was up for in her senior season.  

“My family’s always been really big into sports,” said Erickson. “Both my parents have played and my siblings both play, so I guess they’re all a really great inspiration for me.” 

The first sport that Erickson was introduced to was basketball, where she started at the AAU level around second grade. Her love for basketball grew through the opportunity to play alongside her friends and being coached by her uncle, Daniel Caballero. 

“It was a great experience, and it’s been my favorite sport my whole life,” she said.  

Up to high school, basketball acted as a stress reliever for her and helped her grow as a person, said Erickson. Around the same time, she also picked up club softball and volleyball, but in middle school decided to pick up soccer, briefly. 

In her freshman year, Erickson had already solidified herself as a three-sport athlete. She played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and golf in the spring. She said the decision to head back into volleyball was influenced by her friends joining the team along with her older sister Kaylee Erickson. 

“That really convinced me to switch back over, and I’m really glad I did,” said Erickson. “I have really enjoyed it these last few years.” 

Despite her background in softball, Erickson chose to take up golf that spring because she wanted to try something new, she said.  

Alongside sports, Erickson kept herself busy with FFA and eventually with running start classes, a college credit program for high school students. Her ability to grow and try out all these different athletic and academic adventures came from the support of her family, said Erickson. 

“They’ve all been so supportive of all these activities and supported me every game, taking me to practice,” she said. “It’s helped me grow as a person both with my athletic skills and my hard work, determination and that contributes to so many other things that I do as well.” 

Heading into her senior season, her mindset was on making the most of the year. 

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a volleyball player these last few years and this year I was very excited to be a varsity captain going into the season,” said Erickson. “Getting to play with my friends one last year was really fun and I’m glad we got to do it together.” 

The Cougars found success in the season as they battled into the second round of the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference volleyball tournament before their season concluded.  

Over the course of the season, Erickson said she experienced the most growth in her communication skills with her teammates, which went on to help her growth in other sports down the stretch. 

“You build a bond with these girls over time, and it’s really fun to get to know everyone so well,” said Erickson. 

Warden’s Girls Head Basketball Coach Emily Cox said she worked with Erickson for three of the four years of her high school basketball career and knew her outside of basketball as a family friend. As a basketball coach, she saw Erickson grow exponentially from the time she was a freshman into who she is today. 

“Amaya is just a shy and quiet person, so it was fun to see her start her freshman year just being that super shy, quiet kid,” said Cox. “By the time it was her senior year, she led our team in that same quiet fashion, but she stepped up and just really took on that role. That was fun to see her step out of her shell and be a little bit louder than what she normally likes to do.” 

Much like the volleyball season, the basketball team had success throughout the season where the Cougars made a deep run in the EWAC tournament before falling just short in the final round. 

Erickson said she was pleased with how much she and her teammates had grown together over the years in basketball. She also expressed pride in the team effort this season as it showed that all the hard work from over the summer and throughout the season paid off. 

“Just seeing the growth that came throughout the years and getting to learn as a group with these girls,” said Erickson. “Many of the girls that I’ve played with on my AAU team switched to other sports, but I’m glad that I stuck with it and kept playing.” 

After basketball, Erickson’s focus went into the spring where she decided to take on the daunting task of playing two sports at the same time. Erickson decided to return to the golf team for her fourth season after qualifying for state twice and made a return to softball to cap off her senior year. 

“I missed playing softball because I hadn’t played since my eighth-grade year and all my friends were playing,” said Erickson. “It just sounded fun to be part of both teams.” 

Despite it being a struggle at times to balance two sports, being a full-time running start student and acting as the Warden FFA president, Erickson found time and resources to make it all work. 

“I found creating a daily planner has really helped me know all the priorities for days and keeping track of everything,” she said. 

Along with this, the continued support of her family, teammates and coaches working together to give her these opportunities is something Erickson said went a long way. 

This work all paid off by the end of the season as the Cougars softball team finished the season 16-12 took fifth in districts to qualify for the state tournament and Erickson individually took eighth in golf districts to qualify for that state tournament as well.  

Both competitions took place within the same week, with golf May 19-20 and softball May 22-23. 

“I was very proud of myself and also my teammates,” said Erickson. “We’ve all worked really hard to get here and all this hard work paid off to help us get to these state tournaments.” 

In an interview before the state golf tournament, Warden Golf Coach Desiree McCullough said she was very impressed with Erickson’s ability to juggle each of her responsibilities. 

“I feel like Amaya’s been able to accomplish what she has because of her mental toughness,” said McCullough. 

Erickson went on to compete at state golf where she finished the competition in the first round with a score of 109 and the Cougars softball team finished in the second round of state after a close loss to Rainier. 

Erickson plans to attend WSU in the fall to study animal science. Her decision to take up this career came from her time growing up around her grandparent’s farm and her time in FFA. 

“I love being around all the cattle and large animals,” she said. “I’ve shown lambs my whole life, since third grade I’ve been a member of 4H and in eighth grade I joined FFA and I’ve shown steers and I’ve really enjoyed it.” 

Coach Cox said she is confident that Erickson will find success in her future as she has proven what she is capable of over the years. 

“She just shows up and she keeps working toward that goal,” said the coach. “Once she hits that real world, college life, all the fun things ahead of her, I think she’s going to be very successful because of her work ethic and her attitude towards any goal that she has.” 

As Erickson heads off to college, she still plans to keep athletics a close part of her life. While attending WSU she plans on playing intramurals and joining club teams. She also expressed interest in returning to Warden to help coach younger athletes. 

After graduating from high school June 5, Erickson reflected on her journey through athletics over the years. 

“I’m just very thankful for all my family and friends who have supported me along the way,” said Erickson. “Getting to play all these sports, I’ve really enjoyed it and wouldn’t trade anything for it.” 

    Warden’s Amaya Erickson prepares to serve during a home volleyball game in her senior season as a Cougar.
  

    Amaya Erickson from the Cougars throws the softball back toward the diamond from the outfield during her senior season.
  

    Cougars golfer Amaya Erickson lines up her put during the early spring. Erickson made state three of her four years on the golf team.
  

    Amaya Erickson prepares to shoot a free throw during her senior season with the Cougars basketball team.
  

    Amaya Erickson prepares to shoot a free throw during her senior season with the Cougars basketball team.
  

    Warden’s Amaya Erickson leaps up to smack the volleyball back over the net during a home game in her senior year.