Kordell Waiters will be continuing his academic and athletic career at Lackawanna College, where he will study secondary education. Waiters has dreams of becoming either a science teacher or a special education teacher. 

Waiters was one of the top athletes of the Emmaus wrestling team during his senior year. Waiters has wrestled for 11 years and has now been nominated for Male Athlete of the Year through Lehigh Valley Live; voting is still currently going on.

Stinger: What was your favorite memory from high school?

Waiters: Last football season is one I will not forget. The atmosphere of being on the field with the band and student section roaring from the bleachers was amazing. Being out there with my teammates and just enjoying the time I had is something I will always look back on.

Stinger: What is your favorite thing about wrestling?

Waiters: I love how everything is on me. I do not have anyone else to blame for my mistakes during a match. Whether I win or lose, the result is on me. I am the only one who can control the outcome, so I never have any excuses.

Stinger: How has wrestling impacted other aspects of your life?

Waiters: It has taught me a lot about discipline and helped me form good habits for life. One of the big[gest] lessons I learned early on was that if you work hard, good things will come from the effort you put forward. Wrestling has made me a better person as a whole. Without the impact of wrestling in my life, I would not be as successful as I am today.

Stinger: How did COVID-19 affect your wrestling season?

Waiters: We had a much shorter season, with only five regular season matches. We are accustomed to having the upper hand of 20 matches. There were also no big individual tournaments. This year I would have reached the 100-win milestone, but I only wrestled 16 times. I am used to wrestling a normal season with about 30 matches, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Wearing masks while wrestling was also a big change, but that was much easier to overcome. The loss of spectators at matches was also very unfortunate, but I am just grateful that we got to have a season.

Stinger: Which teacher has impacted your high school experience the most?

Waiters: Mr. Annoni is definitely the staff member that has had the most impact during my time at Emmaus. He has been an amazing mentor for me because he always makes sure I am on track. I have meetings with him about my grades every week. I am beyond grateful for the impact Mr. Annoni has had on my life, as he has always been there for me in high school.

Stinger: What was your favorite year of high school and why?

Waiters: I would have to say the freshman year was my favorite. It was something new to me and it was just a big change in my life. I met a lot of new and cool people that I am still friends with now. I embrace change and the transition into freshman year was very interesting.

Stinger: What are three words you would use to describe your high school experience and why?

Waiters: ‘Exciting,’ because high school has produced some of the best years of my life. There was never a dull moment and that is why it was so exciting. ‘Interesting,’ because there was so much that no one ever warned you about going into high school. The ups and downs through my four years always taught me something new. ‘Unexpected,’ because of COVID-19. I never thought growing up that I would have to live through a global pandemic that would affect my life in the way it did.

Stinger: What is an interesting thing about you that not many people may know?

Waiters: I am a very shy person and I like to keep to myself. Most people who do not know me personally would agree with that. When people get to know me, I am a very different person. I am very outgoing and ambitious when I am around people I know.

Stinger: What advice do you have for underclassmen, both academically and athletically?

Waiters: Live in the moment. You never know when something could get taken away from you and it is gone in a blink of an eye. This year is a perfect example with the pandemic. I never thought that my senior wrestling season would be cut down so much, but that is just the way it went.