Cameron Trafficanti

Upon entering the Traficanti house, it isn't unusual to hear the sounds of Cameron and his older brother Dan practicing their wrestling moves on each other. Of course no match would be complete without a referee standing nearby to oversee their skills on the mat. Dan Sr., in full support of his sons' wrestling careers, stands by mediating the event.

A veteran of four years, Cameron has been wrestling as part of the Plum Junior Olympics and the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club since he was six years old. He gets plenty of practice and lots of pointers from his brother. When Cameron isn't hitting the wrestling mat, he's hitting the puck in a deck hockey game. He plays at the Greater Pittsburgh Deck Hockey Association in Penn Hills. Although this is his first year, it is quickly becoming his favorite sport. He has also been taking karate lessons for four years and has attained the level of green belt.

Although he is very active in sports, he has continued to maintain an excellent academic record. He has finished each of the four years at Regency Park Elementary with straight As. During the summer he continued to hone his scholastic skills. Cameron took the C Mites test, which is for high performing students. The test is through Carnegie Mellon University, and students are tested on an eighth grade level and are eligible to take classes through CMU in Kids College. He also took courses in science at Penn State New Kensington.

It's impressive that with everything else Cameron excels in, he discovered the desire and found the time to learn a musical instrument. When his parents asked what instrument he wanted to play, he chose the violin. Unaware that this instrument is one of the most difficult to play, he dug right in and has been playing for the past two years. He practices about 90 minutes a week in the school year and about 60 minutes a week during summer. As if this isn't challenging enough, Cameron is now learning how to play the oboe as well.

Cameron is an outdoors kind of kid. According to his parents Dan and Kris, he is outside every day as much as possible. In addition to playing capture the flag and football with his brother and others from the neighborhood, Cameron enjoys outdoor activities on the weekend at his uncle's. There he goes tubing, swimming, and gets to ride the Jet Ski.

For such a young person, Cameron is certainly on the road to becoming a well-rounded and vital part of his school and community. The more that Cameron revealed regarding his interests and activities, the more I was amazed at the investment made by not just him but his parents as well. At nine years old, Cameron has quite a record of success.