Sports Feature: Connor Fadden
Fadden at the USA Racquetball National Championships wearing the medal he won at the event.
Fadden at the USA Racquetball National Championship
Courtesy of Connor Fadden
Sports Feature: Connor Fadden
James Martini
Staff Writer
Connor Fadden is a nationally ranked racquetball player from the Jesuit community
In June, senior Connor Fadden placed first in his division at the USA Junior Olympic qualifiers.
Connor’s interest in racquetball began five years ago when he joined the Multnomah Athletic Club and began looking for a new sport to play.
“I tried playing basketball, didn’t like it, tried track, didn’t like it, and so I was just trying to find a new sport,” Fadden said.
Connor found racquetball through one of his current coaches, Hank Marcus, who hosts open court workshops.
Last February, he competed in the National High School Racquetball Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. The players are placed into six levels based on skill, with level one being the highest and level six being the lowest.
“I play at level one, so that means I technically was in the top division there,” Fadden said.
Connor lost to the competitor who eventually placed second in the country in the first round.
In June, Connor competed at the Junior Olympic qualifiers at the MAC to qualify for the USA Junior Olympic Racquetball team.
At this event, Connor won first place in the White subdivision of the tournament, one of four divisions for competitors 18 years old and under. The competitors at these qualifiers were also from across the country.
“Connor’s intensity and intelligence are his best qualities on the court,” Connor’s racquetball coach, Hank Marcus, wrote in an email. “His intensity & commitment whether practicing, playing, or helping others is impressive.”
Connor’s club season began recently and the high school season will begin soon.
“Now that the season is starting up again, I’ve been playing a little bit more often,” Connor said.
Connor has one club match a week for the intramural league, and is also preparing for the beginning of the high school league. His first big tournament of the season will be the John Pelham Memorial Tournament of Champions at the MAC in December, where players will come from across the country to compete.
In addition to racquetball, Connor is also the captain of Jesuit’s robotics team. “His determination to succeed seen in his robotics leadership can easily be applied to the rigor needed to succeed [in racquetball],” senior Jack Milne, another member of the robotics team, said.
James Martini’s interest in writing began as early as the second grade, and he has written ever since. As a senior, he began his career at the Jesuit Chronicle, writing about the numerous activities, events, and issues facing the Jesuit student body and community today. His primary interests center around art, skateboarding, and pop culture. Outside of writing, James produces music and develops video games both as himself and as part of Jesuit’s Game Design Club. He also plays a pivotal role in the Robotics team, working as its captain in the 2018-2019 school year. He worked with Jesuit’s Zero Robotics club in 2018 and 2019, successfully advancing to the international finals at MIT in Boston, working alongside teams from San Francisco and Italy. When not working on school or other projects, James passes time skateboarding, a passion he first took up when he was six, and rekindled in 2019 after a nearly five year break from the activity.
