Student-Athlete of the Week: Ashton Campie

Ashton Campie is passionate about the non-American version of "football," so when the 2020 high school boys soccer season was postponed until spring 2021, the otherwise idle midfielder decided to try out his kicking skills on the gridiron. In the end, both Campie and the Cougars got more than they bargained for, and now the athletic senior has a new appreciation for teamwork and dedication.

"I was doing cross country, and then football started up just when cross country ended, and one of the football coaches asked if I'd be a kicker, so I said 'why not'," Campie said of his modified fall plans. "I started as kicker, and kept practicing in different positions while we were doing special teams, and then ended up playing the full field."

Like his team, Campie's 2020 football season started slowly, as he struggled to learn the unfamiliar game. Prior to joining the Cougars, he admitted that he didn't have much interest in American football, and only watched "two or three games a year," usually at the behest of his family. That started to change once he started working with Niwot's first-year coaching staff, headed by Nikolas Blume.

"I'm brand new to football but I come from a football family-my dad, uncle and grandpa all played at a highish level," he said. "The Niwot coaches and staff made it really easy to get into and improve quickly. I would not have been able to learn as quickly as I did without the coaching staff, which is great."

As Campie improved, his role on the team expanded, and he eventually wound up taking both sides of the field for Niwot, as wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense. Playing the former garnered him a timely touchdown against Cheyenne Mountain in the penultimate game of the year, a play he called his top personal highlight. But it was playing defense that he found the most satisfying, and where he felt he made the most impact.

"I like to play corner a lot, because there's more thought that goes Into it than just taking out the corner like you do when you're a wide receiver," he said.

Overall, Campie was impressed by how the Cougars came together as the season progressed, and believes the coaching staff has Niwot football poised for more success down the road.

"We kept getting better and better and better as the season continued," he said. "The improvement from the beginning to the end of the season was phenomenal and I have not seen anything like it in any of the sports I've played."

And that's not a short list. In addition to year-round soccer, Campie has competed in cross country, track, volleyball, club swimming, and club tennis, many of which he plans to continue in some fashion after graduation.

"I'll play any sport," he said. "I've been playing soccer since I was three, and then every summer I used to do both tennis and swim team... I started playing volleyball my junior year on the suggestion of some friends, and it's really fun."

But soccer remains his primary focus, and he is eagerly anticipating its return in March. Off-season workouts have been limited during the fall, and he is definitely looking forward to being back on the pitch with his Niwot teammates.

"I really enjoy the speed of play," Campie said. "The game never stops, there's always so much unpredictability and anything can be changed by one mistake. It's not an individual sport and is highly team reliant, which is nice because if you have to work with your team to win."

Juggling his numerous athletic pursuits doesn't leave Campie with much free time, especially when combined with his academic demands as a student in Niwot's challenging IB program. So far, his senior year in the classroom has been "not fantastic," thanks to the changing rules and schedules, though he is looking forward to presenting his IB CAS project.

"I don't know if anyone would be able to call this year a good year to be a senior," he said. "It will be nice to graduate."

Once he crosses that milestone, Campie plans to study geological engineering, hopefully at the Colorado School of Mines, where his early application is pending. He has also applied to CU, Western State, CSU, Montana State, South Dakota School of Mines, and Montana Tech.