Mike Sypher: Driven athletes enjoy solid careers

Oct. 20—Callie Nanos always wanted to follow in the footsteps her older sister, Katina, left behind while forging a successful high school volleyball career at Lyman Memorial before moving on to play for the University of St. Joseph at the Division III collegiate level.

So when an opportunity presented itself for Callie to embark on a path with her own footsteps as a fifth- grader while heading to a clinic presented by the Lebanon Recreation Department, she leaped at the chance to test her own skills.

Make that leaped, slammed, dug and served.

And when a 6-year-old Erik Buden watched his buddies have so much fun while trying out for various soccer teams in nearby Hebron, he jumped at the chance to carve out his own niche while honing his skills between the posts as a topnotch goalkeeper.

Fast-forward a few years and we find Nanos and Buden enjoying successful scholastic careers with their Bulldogs and Raptors, respectively, and gracing our Page 11 today as the Chronicle's athletes of the week.

" I have been following the volleyball program since I graduated in 2012 so I was very much aware of Callie's abilities and her presence on the court," said Emily Sciglimpaglia- Vigue, Lyman Memorial's first- year coach. " Callie is a co- captain along with Fallon Bailey and she is playing the role of outside hitter for the team this year.

" I moved her from the middle early on in the season to best benefit the team as a whole."

That benefit has produced a dominant presence from the reliable senior with Nanos attacking the net from the outside, slamming home 166 kills for the Bulldogs (9-2) through 11 matches this fall.

Nanos buried 12 kills and served up seven aces in Lyman Memorial's 25-13, 25-15, 25-12 Eastern Connecticut Conference inter-division sweep of Norwich Free Academy on Tuesday after her 25 kills helped the Bulldogs improve their ECC Division II record to a spotless 3-0 on Monday with a 4- game victory ( 2520, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20) at Griswold.

And in Friday's ECC Division II action, Nanos finished with 17 kills as Lyman Memorial swept host Ledyard by a 25-23, 26-24 and 25- 17 margin.

" I have been playing volleyball since the fifth grade," said Nanos. "I first started with a clinic that our middle school Rec Department held after my sister did it years before.

" Since freshman year, I have been a middle blocker on varsity but, this year, I took on the role of outside hitter and going six rotations all around the court.

"I consider my strengths to be that I can read what the other team is doing well and pick up challenging balls. I can also spot- hit, which comes in handy when we need to place the ball in order to get the point."

And it's her mental approach geared toward providing her Bulldogs with senior leadership in her role as an experienced captain that makes Nanos an invaluable presence on the court as she prepares her squad for the upcoming postseason.

" Being able to keep myself composed during close games is also huge because I am able to keep playing my game without getting distracted by the score," said Nanos.

" I plan to continue playing in college and have a few schools in mind, Rivier University in Nashua, N.H. being my top choice."

" Her strengths are her overall presence on the court, her ability to read the hitters and setters very well and her anticipation of every play," an appreciative Sciglimpaglia- Vigue said of Nanos and her contributions to the program.

"And thank-you so much for selecting Callie — it's very much deserved!"

Buden is a deserving choice for Page 11 honors as well given his contributions to a RHAM High side that has carved out a 7- 3- 2 overall record thus far this season.

And to think that Buden's success between the pipes as RHAM's starting goalkeeper was influenced years ago by a coach who thought that his baseball skills made him a perfect candidate for donning the big gloves, wearing the cool neon shirts and barking out orders while organizing his squad's defense on the soccer pitch.

" I first got into soccer at age six because my friends were playing," recalled Buden. "I began in Hebron's recreational program and our team, with all my soccer friends, went undefeated for the season which allowed all of us to move up to Hebron's travel team. Once there, we were undefeated and I fell in love with the goalkeeper position.

" My first soccer coach, Chris Halotek, told me that because I had good hand-eye coordination from playing baseball that I should play goalkeeper."

"So, I did, and he soon started calling my Spiderman because of all the fantastic saves I made," Buden continued.

" This gave me a lot of confidence, which is a huge part of the reason why I stuck with the position."

Buden's role at RHAM has evolved over 2-plus seasons after head coach Ray Bell realized he had a diamond in the rough when he called upon Erik as a freshman back during the 2019 season.

" Erik has been on the coaching staff's radar since his freshman year when he came into one game as a sub for an injured keeper," recalled Bell.

"And when we really knew we had someone special was in a 1- all draw with state powerhouse Glastonbury last year. Erik made multiple big- time saves to secure a great result."

" He's a leader and very vocal helping his backs out while communicating information constantly. He actually would be a very good field player if he wasn't a keeper because he has excellent foot skills and soccer IQ."

" It's a nice asset to have a keeper who is very confident playing the ball with his feet," Bell continued. " Erik is also an outstanding student and has aspirations of playing in college. The nice thing is we have him for another year." Buden has shined during his junior campaign thus far, allowing just five goals while playing in 11 of RHAM's 12 matches for a goals- against average of 0.45.

Buden has played under coaches Victor Santos and Victor Santos Jr. with the CFC Wolves with the elder Santos, a member of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame, nominating Erik to try out for the Ct. Olympic Development Program team at the age of 12.

Buden was selected for the USYS inter- regional tournament scheduled to be played in Orlando, Fla. last November before it was canceled due to COVID-19.

Buden was able to pad his soccer r?sum? this past summer while placing second in the country for 16- to- 17year- old boys in the national KeeperWars goalkeeper competition after being challenged to participate by coach Annmarie Catania.

Buden advanced in the national compeitition by capturing the Ct. KeeperWars event late in the spring and made it to the very last game before falling at the national finals in Sarasota, Fla. in late July.

"At RHAM, I have assumed the role of being a general on the field because I have a great vantage point of the action," said Buden, who will play for Catania and the Ct. Olympic Development Team for an upcoming sixth season.

"I consider one of my strengths to be playing balls in the air because I go up with both confidence and control to be able to track and read the ball pretty well due to all my training and experience."

"Another one of my strengths is shot-stopping in general because I am usually able to consistently read both the striker and the ball well," added Buden.

" I also believe that distribution and communication are strengths of mine."

Mike Sypher is the sports editor of the Chronicle.