By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Sports give children the opportunity to dream and pretend. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball, or any other sport, children who participate in sports allow themselves to live out their dreams. Kaiden Peterson-Leonardo of the Benson Bruins 12U football team is no exception. Playing since he was five years old, Leonardo is pursuing his dreams of becoming a professional football player as he learns and masters his favorite sport.
“The first time I played football was when I was five,” says Peterson-Leonardo. “I started on the Auburn Panthers 6U team. I also played seven-on-seven, which is like another form of football. I also like to play basketball, baseball, track, and wrestling, and I might do soccer for my school, maybe.”
Peterson-Leonardo, 12, plays both wide receiver and outside linebacker for the Bruins. He says that he likes the sport of football because it offers him the opportunity to compete as well as take out his frustrations on the field.
“Football is my favorite sport,” says Peterson-Leonardo. “I just think if I’m mad or something, all my anger I can get on the field and release it. Plus, I have the most experience playing football, and I have the most fun.”
“I play wide receiver and outside linebacker, and although I enjoy playing both offense and defense a lot, I like offense because I like making the defenders look silly,” he says with a laugh.
Peterson-Leonardo says that his passion for football stems from his family. He plays for his father, who passed away in 2018. He plays for his mother, who is the stabilizing presence in his life, and he plays to carry on the memory and legacy of his grandfather by wearing the same number his grandfather wore when he played.
“I got my number from my papa, my grandfather, because he wore number 44,” says Peterson-Leonardo. “Then I just keep on playing to make my mom proud, and I know I’m making my dad proud right now if he was still here.”
“One of my biggest challenges, I think, is just living life without my dad,” continued Peterson-Leonardo with a heavy heart. “Because, you know, my mom, she does everything for me. She’s like my mom and my dad in one body, like she does everything for me. So, it’s just kind of hard because sometimes I miss my dad, and I miss my papa, and I just wish they were still here. But, you know, God is going to do what He does best.”
Tina Leonardo, Kaiden’s mother, says that she is very proud of her son’s accomplishments on the field and his dedication to the memories of his father and grandfather.
“I love it,” says Tina. “Just dealing with his different emotions since his dad passed away when he was six when he first started football. His dad passed away the day before his first jamboree, and sports have been an outlet for him to control his emotions with the loss of my dad and his dad. He decided to wear number 44 in honor of my dad, and I also wore the number 44 in the sports that I played in honor of my dad as well.”
“I’m very proud of him that he dedicates each game, each practice to our loved ones,” Tina continued. “We lost about three different family members this year, and each time he scored a touchdown, he has either kneeled, prayed, or kissed the sky, dedicating the touchdown to the family members we have lost this year.”
While he plays with a heavy heart, PetersonLeonardo is not without passion, charisma, and a desire to win. When it comes to his playing style, he patterns his game after San Francisco 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel.
“I like Deebo Samuel because I like how he goes from running back to wide receiver,” says PetersonLeonardo. “That’s what I do too. Like, I rotate sometimes in our heavy packs. I could go from fullback to wide receiver to tight end.”
Despite still being in the early stages of his playing career, PetersonLeonardo has extreme confidence in his athletic ability and has aspirations of being a multi-sport athlete. Motivated by the exploits of the likes of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson, he is fearless in his assertion that he would like to play two sports, if not all three, as a professional.
“I plan on playing football and basketball in high school,” says PetersonLeonardo. “And professionally, I’ve seen people make it to the professionals for like two-way sports, like Deion Sanders did baseball and football. I want to be the first person to make it happen in three ways to do it in football, basketball, and baseball since they’re in different times of the year.”
There is an awareness in this young athlete that sets him apart. With all that is going on in the world and even in his neighborhood, with gun violence and uncertainty, being a 12-year-old, Peterson-Leonardo is aware of just how important organized sports can be to children and young people.
“I think sports are important to me because in my family there are a lot of deaths that happen,” Leonardo expresses. “I think it keeps me focused and keeps me out of trouble ‘cause there’s a lot of gang violence right now, and so it helps me stay out of trouble and helps me keep my mind on my goals.”
Another attribute Peterson-Leonardo possesses is understanding the importance of education and striving to achieve in the classroom just as much as he does outside the classroom—a trait that has been instilled in him by his mother.
“When it comes to my grades, I’m good,” says Peterson-Leonardo. “I’ve got to make sure all my homework and all my school stuff is done before I even think about playing sports.”
“Academics is very important to me because I feel like without an education, you can’t really do much in the world, especially the world that we live in now,” says Tina. “You need to have an education to go far, and he knows that school comes first. I want him to do better than I did, such as going to college. I never went to college. I had the opportunity to go to college for fast-pitch softball, and I never went because my dad ended up sick, and so I want him to be able to go further than I did.”
When it comes to the current football season, Peterson-Leonardo is optimistic about his team making a deep run into the playoffs.
“I think we’re solid,” says Peterson-Leonardo. “I think we could make a long run if we just stay focused and stay humble, stay healthy, because we had a bunch of injuries before the season started and at the beginning, but we just got to keep our mind focused on our goal.”
Entrenched in his spiritual upbringing, Peterson-Leonardo believes that you should always put your trust in God and cherish every moment with family that you can.
“I want my community to know that anything in life is possible as long as you got God,” says Leonardo. “And to spend every moment and opportunity you have with your family because you never know what’s going to happen.”