Dorsey senior Cameron Washington has a natural talent when it comes to athleticism. This has helped him be an efficient dual-sport athlete for the Dons, being a linebacker for their football team and a catcher for baseball.
Washington started playing baseball at four years old and continued competing in the sport. When he reached high school, he made football his primary sport. However, he continued competing in baseball.
“Honestly, I play for fun; I just play to play,” Washington said. “I like the sport … never want to quit it, hope I get to play it on the next level.”
This is his second year playing varsity ball as the COVID-19 pandemic deprived him of his sophomore and junior seasons.
“I didn’t know if I was going to ever be able to play baseball again because of COVID,” Washington said. “When COVID struck, it sucked because I was in the best rhythm of my life.”
During the quarantine, Washington focused on doing workouts and drills for football to keep himself in shape.
“I was doing a lot of route running, a lot of aerobic exercises just trying to stay in shape,” he said. “I didn’t want to come back out here, trying to play a sport and be huffing and puffing because I ain’t done nothing in two years.”
Washington has been competing while having a slight visual impairment.
“That’s why I wear goggles,” he said. “For a long time, I used to play without my goggles in baseball. I was just swinging at whatever I saw,”
In football, Washington helped the team earn a 10-3 overall record. The Don’s defense held teams to less than 10 points during the season. However, the most memorable game for him was their double-overtime 34-28 victory over Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs.
“It was the first time I ever been in the high school playoffs,” Washington said. “It was a real thrill and that was the first time I ever ran onto a field just excited like that because we had won a game that, in all rights, we probably should have lost.”
For Washington, being a student athlete means understanding the pressures of performing high in the classroom and on the field. He has been studying sports medicine for two years; his favorite class is his emergency medical technician class. In the class, Washington has been learning how to identify and treat injuries.
“I got CPR certified and I think we’re trying to get another certification by the end of the year,” Washington said. “I’ve been able to self-diagnose a lot better at home.”
Outside of athletics and academics, Washington has volunteered to help young athletes. When his brother was in Pap Warner Little League, Washington helped complete various tasks throughout game days.
“I used to do the scoreboard for his game, I used to do the books,” Washington said. “I used to just help around, work in the snack bar. I had fun doing it, met a lot of nice people.”
