Ski Racing - October 31, 2011

“It was a couple months after it was announced that David was coming but he hadn’t actually arrived yet,” Cannon says. “We all got back to our lockers and there were these beautiful envelopes that said, ‘Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith would like to invite you to a star-studded event welcoming the Beckhams to Los Angeles.’”

More goals ahead

At age 36, Cannon knows he’s got only a handful of playing years left in his body, and he’s already begun to lay the foundation for a future in soccer management.

“I definitely want to stay in the game,” Cannon says. “I have a passion for the sport and I want to keep it going — I’m probably looking at doing something on the business side rather than coaching, and I think there’s some room for me to continue to grow with the game.” As for the impact his ski racing youth played on his soccer present and future?

“I think, even more than other sports, there’s so much preparation that goes into ski racing at a very young age, and I think the lessons stay with you forever,” Cannon says. “As a young kid, you might not really think about those kinds of things, but you’re up on the mountain very early, you’re inspecting the course and trying to memorize every turn and gate. I think there was a discipline I started to learn then that I’ve carried with me throughout my career. And the goal-setting that you learn in any sport is such an important tool for life.”