YEAR IN REVIEW
F O O T B A L L K I C K E R S T E P S A WA Y F R O M T H E F I E L D A N D T RAV E L S C O U N T R Y D U R I N G L E AV E O F A B S E N C E “I had a rough plan of places I wanted to go but nothing too specific,” Bahamonde said. “But then I n 2019, Ithaca College junior football kicker ended up ditching that plan about five days into the Nick Bahamonde won the Liberty League Special trip. So I literally just got into my car and I just drove Teams Player of the Year following a successful fresh- around, met a bunch of people and explored wherevman campaign. However, after the 2020 season was er I wanted to.” Bahamonde said he started with a four-day drive canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he packed up his bags, put a sleeping bag in his car and from his hometown to southern California, where he spent a few days before driving up the coastline to drove out west to spend a semester on the road. After stepping away from the gridiron for a year Bend, Oregon. He said he did not love Bend, so he in favor of a cross-country road trip, he was named left after only a day to go back down the coast to Lake the seventh best kicker in Division III football en- Tahoe and the Malibu area. Afterward, he cut back tering the 2021 season upon his return. The rank- inland to southern Utah and then Colorado before ings were released by The CFB Network, a popular returning to Virginia the third week of April. “I learned more in that year by myself than I’ve social media page that covers all three levels of college football. Bahamonde was also named Liberty learned in school, probably ever,” Bahamonde said. “I League Football Special Teams Player of the Week for can do algebra, but that doesn’t teach you how to talk his performance Sept. 4 in the football team’s 52–20 to a stranger or be a good person or be a hard worker. I learned how to live my life.” win over Bridgewater State University. Bahamonde said that missing the 2020 season Bahamonde, who grew up surrounded by nature in Berryville, Virginia, said that the idea of facing on- made him realize how tired he was of football. He line classes helped him make his decision to take a said it was not that he did not love the sport, but no one knew him as anything other than the star kicker leave of absence. “At some point I would have gone through what I for the Bombers. “I was like, this is all I do,” Bahamonde said. “This went through in the last year,” Bahamonde said. “I feel like everyone has to go through that at some point. is all people know me for. … I want it to be more I know [I would have gone] eventually. I just don’t than that.” He succeeded in that mission during his time out know if it would have happened in the same way if not west, said Kaia Friedly, a student at Orange Coast Colfor the pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic caused Ithaca College to lege, whom he met in California. “When he told me he played football in college, shift classes to remote instruction during the spring of Bahamonde’s freshman year. The college then my first thought was ‘Are we thinking about the same made the decision to continue online courses through kind of football?’” Friedly said. “He’s the polar opposite of what I would’ve expected.” Fall 2020. Though they only met in person once, Friedly said The college’s transition to remote learning prompted Bahamonde to enroll in a community col- Bahamonde made a lasting impression on her, and lege for Fall 2020, before packing his bags and driving they still talk every day. “When we met, it was an instant click,” Friedly to California in the first week of March 2021. said. “We became such good friends on the first encounter because he’s such an amazing guy with such great ambitions.” Fellow Bombers kicker and junior Enzo Martelluci said he is not surprised that Bahamonde makes that type of impression on people. He describes his teammate as laid-back, someone who gets along with everyone and attacks each day with a smile. However, even though his personality may Junior Nick Bahamonde traveled the country in his car during the spring of 2021. Courtesy of Nick Bahamonde
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seem relaxed, Martelluci said Bahamonde did not take any days off in preparation for the 2021 season. “To come right back to the field was just the willingness to play right when he got here,” Martelluci said. “I do believe he’s got the ability and quality of a [Division I athlete], which is also why I believe he will be ranked first in Division III football after this season.” Tom Biscardi, linebacker and special teams coach for the football team, said Bahamonde is a great person and teammate. “He gets along with everyone,” Biscardi said. “It’s not like he’s always off with the specialists. … He comes out there every day with a smile on his face.” When he takes the field in important game situations, Bahamonde said his mentality and attitude help him stay focused, even in the hardest of situations. Having that type of clear headspace is a technique Bahamonde said he has brought to football from his experiences in life. “When you’re young, do the jobs and things you can’t do when you’re 45,” Bahamonde said. “Some kids are going to intern at JPMorgan and I’m sure they’ll be making a lot of money, but they are not going to be as fulfilled as I am. I can guarantee you that.” Friedly said that it seems like Bahamonde has really found himself. “He told me when we met that he was doing [the trip] to experience what it has to offer,” Friedly said. “He wanted to get a new outlook on life, and he says he did.” Bahamonde also created digital content while he was traveling. Bahamonde put photos on his Instagram, @nhbaha, and videos on his YouTube channel. “He showed me that he was taking pictures of things like the northern lights,” Friedly said. “Everything I saw was insane.” Even though he was tired of football a year ago, Bahamonde said that this year has made him want to play football more than he ever has. “The year off made me reflect on why I play and why I want to keep playing,” Bahamonde said. “I’m more excited for the next two years of football than I’ve been for any year in the past.” While most coaches might be worried about a player missing an entire year of working out, practicing and playing football, Biscardi said he is not worried in the slightest about how Bahamonde will reacclimate. “Obviously it would’ve been awesome to have him here in the spring, but I know he’s taking care of himself off the field,” Biscardi said. The junior said that he is ready for the upcoming season but that he is not worried about trying to outperform expectations. “No misses is always the expectation,” Bahamonde said. “[Freshman year], I missed my first-ever kick in college and then I did not miss again for 10 weeks. I hate missing.”
