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Thursday, August 6, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com SPORTS

From the rink to the Lake, Michigan defender Cam
York’s passion goes far beyond just playing hockey

Cam York is the picture of
confidence with a hockey stick in
his hand. It’s a quiet confidence,
but it oozes from every move he
makes.
When he’s not on the ice as
a Michigan defenseman, York
swaps out his stick for a fishing
pole, an Xbox controller or a
basketball — and not one ounce of
his swagger diminishes.
“I’m a pretty good Fornite
player,” York laughed. “ … Garrett
Van Wyhe, Jake Gingell, Keaton
Pearson, (they) all love it. When
we have free time we’ll play
together. Play some squads, get
some dubs.”
Outside of video games, he

spends time at the IM building
shooting hoops. York’s biggest
competition on the court —
according to him — was Jack
Olmstead, who transferred in
April.
While he’s talented at gaming
and basketball, fishing is York’s
biggest off-ice passion. Here, his
biggest competition is former
teammate
Hayden
Lavigne.
Captain Will Lockwood named
Lavigne the most “mature” fisher
on the team.
“From
what
I’ve
heard,
(Lavigne)
knows
what
he’s
doing,” York said. “I’d like to see
him out on the West Coast and
see what he can do first, though.”
One part of fishing York is eager
to geek out about is knots. He
boasts about the different knots
he can tie and calls it his secret

talent. The most impressive in his
arsenal? The cinch knot.
He explains the tying process
like it’s the simplest thing in the
world:
“It connects a braided line to
a fluorocarbon line. That one’s
really difficult, took me like a few
weeks to perfect it but yeah, if
you ask some random fisherman
they probably can’t do it.”
York’s not selective with where
he’ll cast his line or what he’ll
fish for. And most of what he
catches, he’ll eat. He’s watched
his dad clean fish enough times
to know how to do it.
At
boarding
school
in
Minnesota he’d fish for walleye
in the lakes nearby. In Utah he’d
fish for trout. On the California
coast there’s tuna, striped bass
and a plethora of other species.
He once caught a 100 pound
Mako shark in the ocean.
And that’s part of the reason
why, if given the choice, York
prefers saltwater to freshwater
fishing. He never knows what
he’s going to catch — or how big
it’ll be.
But
there’s
one
question
that trips York up: He doesn’t
remember the exact details of
the first fish he caught. When it’s
brought up, all that confidence
disappears and his answer is
hesitant.
“I don’t know,” York said. “I
think I do, but I don’t want to be
wrong.”
After reassurance that there’s
really no way to fact check his
answer, he took a guess.
His grandpa had a pond in the
backyard that was stocked with
rainbow trout, and when York
was little he remembers catching
those. But to have 100 percent
certainty, he says he’d have to
consult his parents.
Growing up on the West
Coast had a big influence on
York’s passion for fishing. The
family owned a boat and a young
York and his dad would fish the
open ocean. While the vessel
is officially unnamed, York has
some ideas in mind.
“I’d probably go with Five for
Fighting,” York said. “I always
had that in engraved in my head
but could never actually put it
on the boat. It’d keep it hockey
related too.”

With hockey being such a
demanding sport, fishing has
always offered him an escape.
It was a chance to connect with
nature; a moment away from the
ice, a break from his thoughts.
An added bonus is the lack of cell
service. It’s total isolation — just
him, the water and whoever he’s
with.
Fishing has always played a
big role in York’s relationship
with his dad. For as long as he
can remember, they’ve gone out
on the water together. And, while
he was still living in California,
every year on his birthday he’d
get to skip school to go fishing.
Prior to this year, it’d been
four years since York had been
at home to celebrate a birthday,
so any chance to be out on the
boat with his dad is special and
coveted.
Like this past summer, which

the two spent out on the ocean
catching
tuna
and
dorado
together.
As for fishing experiences he’s
yet to cross off the bucket list,
York dreams of going to Pedros
Island in Baja California.
“There’s just a ton of variety
of fish around there,” York said.
“And being in California, being
kind of close, I’ve always wanted
to go there. I always watch
YouTube videos and TV shows
about it.”
He’s also interested in trying
noodling — catching catfish with
bare hands. As of March, York
has yet to go fishing with any of
his teammates. It’s something
he’s been looking forward to.
But whether he’s fishing with
teammates, his dad or all alone,
it doesn’t matter. For York it’s
all about the escape and the
experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAM YORK
Cam York spends his free time gaming, playing basketball and fishing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAM YORK
Sophomore defender Cam York enjoys fishing with his family.

MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer