In the history books: Four-sport athlete looks to improve on record-breaking season
Aidan Collins/Courtesy photo
In a small mountain community, with one public high school, it is not uncommon for Summit High School athletes to play multiple sports. Most will pick one per season, but some — like senior Aidan Collins — juggle four.
Although being a four-sport athlete isn’t groundbreaking, Collins found a way to etch his name in the school history books. He helped the 4×100-meter relay team break the 31-year-old school record last week, and his performance in lacrosse this week helped snap a 21-game losing streak.
Like many other successful athletes, Collins’ quest for success in sports began back in kindergarten when he began playing soccer. In second grade, Collins transitioned to football and basketball, and by the time Collins reached middle school, he was highly skilled at a variety of sports.
During his senior campaign at Summit High School, Collins made the varsity team in football, wrestling, track and lacrosse.
Collins is most comfortable on the gridiron, where he is a dual threat. He plays both the fullback and wide receiver position for the Summit football team.
During the 2021 fall season Collins was nothing but explosive. He led the Tigers just shy of a playoff berth and combined for 579 yards rushing as well as 924 yards receiving.
After football season wrapped up, Collins displayed why he is known for his work ethic as he immediately transitioned to wrestling. Collins placed high at every wrestling meet he was entered in. At the 3A Region 1 wrestling meet, he placed second in the 138-pound weight class, which qualified him for the state wrestling meet at Ball Arena in Denver.
At state, Collins had a less-than-ideal performance when he entered the tournament under the weather, causing him to underperform. Collins wrestled in two state matches but lost both. Despite the result, Collins walked away from the experience happy that he even had the chance to compete against the best wrestlers in Colorado.
Collins once again had a short turn around headed into the spring season. A few weeks after state, he began training for both track and lacrosse.
Aidan Collins/Courtesy photo
This was the first year that Collins decided to double up on spring sports, making him a four-sport athlete for the first time.
“Obviously school comes first but for me personally just being busy helps me to get work done,” Collins said. “Having work going on and always doing something and having less time honestly makes it so I always have to focus. I can’t be slacking off.“
Collins says his senior year is going close to perfect since he watched so many seniors over the past two years not get the send offs they deserved due to the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.
“This year it has been so great,” Collins said. “Having a full 10 games in football and just being back to showcase all our skills was so great. It’s been really nice to have a sense of normalcy for my senior year.“
Looking back on his four years of high school, Collins said his favorite memory was catching his first varsity touchdown as a freshman after his brother, Brendan, threw him the ball.
“That is a memory that I am always going to remember,” Collins said. “It was so cool to be on the field with him.”
Aidan Collins/Courtesy photo
Collins plans on soaking up the last few weeks of his senior year, but he also has his eyes set on the future since he hopes to play college football at the University of San Diego. He and his mentor, Summit’s head football coach James Wagner, are entertaining that idea. But he said if the University of San Diego does not work out, he has plans to attend California Polytechnic State University or University of Colorado in the fall to study business.