AMHS Athletic Hobbies
What sports and other athletic hobbies do Magnet students participate in outside of school? Due to our school’s relatively small size, not everything can be offered here, but there are some activities that can only be done outside of school. This week we surveyed students to discover what they do in their spare time. The wide variety of activities shows the character of a lot of our students and the lengths they go to in order to do what they love. From skeet shooting, to jiu-jitsu, to horse riding; it turns out there are some very different activities that Raptors do.
Brian Fang (‘25) Brazilian Jiu iJtsu and Judo
Brian has been on the Magnet wrestling team for the past few seasons; however, outside of school, he participates in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and judo to stay in shape and train general skills. Both Judo and BJJ are self-defense martial arts that focus on grappling; in BJJ the goal is to bring the fight to the ground, while judo is more standing oriented. In BJJ, chokehold submissions are essential, while in Judo throwing someone on their back is usually the way to win. Brian said he loves the two sports because it allows him to get great exercise, fight people, and train during the off-season. He trains at the American Judo and Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Summerville.
Robert Heidenreich (‘25) Rowing
Robert got into rowing because he wanted to stay physically fit by playing a sport in his free time, but his “awful vision” made most ball sports hard to play. Robert talked to his brother and he remembered that Magnet had a rowing team when he had attended. Robert asked his friends to see if they knew what happened to it, and former student, Lulu Wallace (who now attends the governor’s school), introduced him to the team.
Robert’s out of school rowing team is the Charleston City Rowing Club as it’s the only official team in the area. The team is only for high schoolers and middle schoolers if they take the Learn To Row program, but anyone from the area can join no matter the school.
Robert loves how strong the team mentality is. “You truly can’t compete in rowing without the help of your team as almost every boat has 2-9 people in it and because of this it’s really easy to connect with everyone on the team”, Robert explained, “Sportsmanship is great as well between teams and we get to meet people from all over the country at regattas”. More than anything, Robert loves being on the water even when he’s “competing till [his] hands bleed” as it’s relaxing to be on the water and “listen to the waves lapping on the shore as you fly by”.
The events that rowers compete in are called regattas. They are large events where teams come together and compete in a variety of races. Events usually last from 6am to 6pm, and races are mostly around 2000-5000 meters which last between 6 and 30 minutes depending on the length. “Some of the events are at cool locations such as the head of the chick where they have a giant inflatable duck as an obstacle on the course. They’re always a lot of fun.”
Sanna West (‘25) Horseback riding
Sanna told us that she “pretty much hated or was bad at all” sports that she tried when she was young. One summer she went to a horse riding camp where she became really good and fell in love with equestrianism and horses. Over the past 10 years she has continued to ride horses and compete in the Hunter and Equitation events. In the Hunter event, the rider shows off the horse’s abilities and athleticism, displaying the horses and their training. In the Equitation event, the rider exhibits their own abilities such as handling and riding skill to the judge. Sanna owns three horses: an Irish Sporthorse, a Swedish Warmblood, and a Welsh pony. The Swedish Warmblood named Paris is probably her favorite and also her fastest horse. She rides at Sea Hunter Farm in Huger which is out towards Awendaw and is also where the horses are kept although many would think they stay in her garage.
Emilio Roxas-Peirano (‘25) Pickleball
Pickleball has always attracted a more elderly audience, as the smaller court and less powerful swings are less physically demanding than tennis. However, recently the pickleball demographic has reached a younger audience. This past summer, Emilio hopped on the pickleball trend with many of his friends. He told us the game is easy to pick up and learn, and only needs 4 people, paddles, and a ball. Daniel Island and Sullivan’s Island both have outdoor pickleball courts, and Mount Pleasant has an indoor pickleball gym. Emilio loves to play with his friends Garrison, Nikos, Ian, and Fritz and exclaims “It’s exhilarating!” when speaking about the game. He even owns his own net and complete set of paddles, so he can set up anywhere for a quick match.
Joey Schady (‘25) Skeet Shooting
Joey, a Magnet Swim captain, has another hobby and that is shooting skeet! Joey claims that he has been shooting skeet since he was “able to hold a gun”. Joey’s favorite place to practice is Partage Creek Gun Club, which he enthusiastically recommends to anyone interested; however, he emphasized using caution and only practicing in a controlled environment! Joey says that he most enjoys doing this with his close friends, John Thommasson and Thomas Hershey.
Keaton Murray (‘25) and Joseph Gaddy (‘25) Powerlifting
A couple of months ago, Keaton and Joseph signed up for a powerlifting event in Florence with USA Powerlifting. They competed against others in their same age and weight bracket in the bench press, squat, and deadlift events. Keaton said they “were surprised at how fun it was”, despite being tired from the 2-hour drive, and that “everyone there was really supportive and chill.” Keaton placed 3rd and Joseph placed 2nd. Keaton expressed that he would love to compete again after hitting a 336.5 lb deadlift, 180 lb bench press, and 242.5 lb squat which he feels he could improve on. Since then Keaton has already improved his bench press record to a 205 lb lift (at my house) despite an injured chest.
JL Silveston (‘25) Golf
Even though it is an official sport at Magnet, we decided to include golf as so many people play it who don’t play on the team. Juniors Jace Gutting, Blake Yarborough, and Jack Tierney when asked, expressed that golf is their favorite sport outside of school as playing with friends is a blast. JL, who we interviewed more fully, plays several times a week at Stono Ferry and Muni to improve his game. He told us “I do hella golf” and that his favorite club is the driver as he smacks the ball down the fairway. He plays with Reece, Nikos, and James the most, often skipping important events in his life to hit the links. JL loves being surrounded by the greenery on the course and hitting pure shots. Thanks JL !
Cate Arrants(‘25) Half marathons
Even though Cate’s sport is track and cross country, she recently has kindled a love for running half marathons in her off-season. So far Cate has run two half marathons and has two more on the books this coming winter, the Charleston half marathon and the Kiawah Half Marathon. She also said that she is hoping to do a full marathon before college! Cate says that she likes doing these because they are a new challenge and they help her stay motivated and in shape during the off-season. Cate urges anyone who has an interest to go out and try because you will be surprised at what you can accomplish!
Zach Drescher (’26) Karate
Zach is a junior who recently joined the AMHS swim team. However, his true athletic passion is his karate! Zach says he’s been doing karate for a while now and it’s one of the things that helps him get up in the morning. Zach says he does karate because he enjoys the feeling of winning all the time and it keeps him in shape.
Mia Dewey (’27) Rock Climbing
Another Raptor whose athletic pursuits carry outside of Magnet is sophomore Mia Dewey. Mia is not only on the cross country and lacrosse team, but she also engages in rock climbing with a local team. When questioned on her competitions, Mia said that many of them are outside of the state in North Carolina or Georgia. While some may assume that these competitions are outside of her fall and spring sports seasons, she actually practices all year round after her magnet team practices. Mia’s dedication to her sport is a striking example of how anything can happen if you put in the effort. Despite not having any mountains or even hills surrounding her, Mia has found a way to pursue her passion at the next level and compete at an elite level.
What We Found
Academic Magnet, it turns out, is home to tons of super talented athletes, gathered on official teams, but as we’ve discovered, also scattered into activities outside of school. We discovered a variety of martial arts; casual activities like pickleball, golf, and skeet shooting; as well as more extreme sports such as equestrianism, powerlifting, and team rowing. Of course, there are many students that we were not able to interview (and this article is all upperclassmen), so this topic is for sure one to revisit in the future.
