Ultimate Co-Captain Sakina Cotton ’24 began her ultimate career upon her arrival at Andover. Before then, Cotton wasn’t familiar with ultimate and only learned of the sport from some of her friends. Nevertheless, Cotton fell in love with the sport over time, starting in the JV program and making her way up the ranks throughout her years of dedication.
As a leader, Cotton prioritizes support and encouragement. She emphasized supporting her teammates’ goals and her efforts to assist them in becoming the very best players they can be.
“I value a lot of intentional support for the rest of my team. In the past when I [was on the] wrestling team, a lot of the time, I found myself trying to check in with my teammates and really talk to them about things, like what are their goals and how I can help them get there, and that’s the same values that I want to carry into this team. A lot of just being there and being a supporter and a challenger for the rest of my teammates’ goals, so we can all become better,” said Cotton.
Cotton appreciates that ultimate is not maintained by a referee but rather by the players themselves. According to Cotton, this aspect of ultimate exemplifies Andover’s and its opponents’ respect for the game and all persons involved. Cotton recognized this as a distinctly wonderful part of the game, which keeps her coming back to it.
“It really brings you together with your team because ultimate is a self-officiated sport. I’ve often found myself facing some tough competition, and it’s really intense, but you still have a mutual respect for the other people. I admire that, and I admire the people we go toe to toe against,” said Cotton.
The girls&non-binary ultimate team is a new team at Andover, and according to Co-Captain Michela Rowland ’24, Cotton has had a huge role in establishing it. Her constant encouragement has built a positive and hardworking environment that the team will continue to build on for years to come. Rowland highlighted Cotton’s impact on the team and the ultimate program as a whole.
Rowland said, “Sakina is the second captain, I believe, that we’ve ever had for the girls&non-binary squad. So, she’s been huge in terms of trailblazing this team and getting us to all put our hearts into it, to put our bodies into it. She’s had an enormous impact on the team but also the program as a whole.”
According to Co-Captain Everett Woo ’25, Cotton is a leader by example. Each day she sets an example of a hardworking player for her teammates to follow. Moreover, Woo highlighted Cotton’s integral role in the creation and success of the girl’s/non-binary team for ultimate.
Woo said, “This is the first year that there’s a girls&non-binary varsity team for ultimate, and she’s been doing a really great job leading that team. She leads by example because she’s an amazing player technically, but she’s also very vocal, helping the new, less experienced players with tips and showing them how to throw and plays and whatnot.”
Before a competition, Cotton is always someone helping to get the team excited and ready to compete. She does this through team cheers and encouraging and pushing her teammates in healthy ways. Rowland emphasized Cotton’s support before competitions.
Rowland said, “We have a bunch of cheers that we always are pulling out for tournaments especially. She’s very good at that. [She is also good at] getting into our heads and saying like ‘Hey, we’re going to make this work. We’re going to push ourselves. We’re going to push each other.’ All in healthy ways, of course.”
