Angelica Llanes has been coaching Senior Fernanda Cañedo for two years. Within the two years, he has seen a lot of good in her wrestling skills as well as her effort and great leadership. Llanes is extremely proud of what she has accomplished and ready to see what she does in the future.
Cañedo says that one of her main goals this year was to make it to state. This goal was important to her because she made it to state last year and did not feel satisfied with her performance and wanted to do better this year. To ensure that she met this goal she made sure she was always at practice and making an impact on her team by leading. According to Cañedo, “I tried to be a leader in every practice and just show up and learn new things.” She describes her work ethic as really hard. She puts in a lot of effort during practice and makes sure to do everything as hard as she can. Her motivation comes from her success in the sport. According to Cañedo, “Seeing how good I did the first year pushed me to do good the second year.” The toughest opponent that Cañedo went against was Gemma Templman. She wrestled her during the finals match, and she is number one in the country. Cañedo is finishing her high school with a 34-4 record. After high school Cañedo plans on wrestling, colleges that have reached out so far are Menlo College, William Jewell College, Bakersfield College, and Snow College.
Teammate Marleen Lopez describes her teammate Cañedo as someone with an inspiring work ethic and an amazing person. She believes that Cañedo is a great wrestler because she always keeps going. According to Lopez, “She would never complain and always push herself to her limits.” She also describes Cañedo as a great leader; she says that Cañedo was a great role model for her in her five months of wrestling. Her motivation in wrestling comes from her teammates. Some strengths that Lopez saw in Cañedo were her live performances. According to Lopez, “It was so cool seeing her live going from having a disadvantage and making it into an advantage.” She says that Cañedo kept an amazing mindset. One she could see every time she wrestled. Wrestling with Cañedo for Lopez is fun because she brightens up the room. Lopez considered Cañedo as a big sister when it came to wrestling because she just gave off that energy and was a great role model for the team. Cañedo inspired her to never give up no matter what and to keep following her goals no matter how far they seem to be. Lopez believes that Cañedo’s presence has made a huge impact on the team and her graduating is going to hit hard because of the amount of love the team had for her.
Llanes believes that Cañedo has an amazing work ethic. According to Llanes, “She knows when to pick up the pace and set the tone at practice.” She believes that Cañedo is a great athlete because no matter if she wins or loses, she continues to push through. She also believes Cañedo is a very strong leader. According to Llanes, “The girls on the team follow her lead and she can set the tone for the future leaders.” She believes her greatest strength in wrestling is her ability to overcome obstacles. She would describe her weaknesses as her own insecurities because at times just like everyone does, she would have a hard time believing in herself. Llanes would say that Cañedo is a great asset to the team because she helps her teammates at practice. Even though this was Cañedo’s last year her coach believes she has set the tone for next year.
Cañedo had a great time wrestling with this team. The team camaraderie and hard work they put in are the biggest aspects of the team. The girls are proud of Cañedo and her accomplishments and can’t wait to see her at the next level.
