June 9, 2025 by Katie Plue (‘27)
Charlotte’s one true love is dashing across the court with a ball and shooting it in the hoop. Just two years into high school, Charlotte Panetta stands out on and off the court. She played on the Saratoga Springs Varsity Girls basketball team in her freshman and sophomore years while keeping up with her 4.0 GPA at the same time. But her talent hasn’t come naturally, it has taken years of dedication. From late night practices to weekends away at tournaments, Charlotte spends her life devoted to the sport she loves.
Charlotte was born and raised in Upstate New York and Saratoga Springs has been her home for as long as she can remember. At 6 years old, Charlotte decided she wanted to throw basketball into her mix of sports. Charlotte was always tall for her age, growing up and towering over all the kids in her grade so it only made sense. Her mother, Ann Panetta, played basketball at The University of Albany from 1996-2000, “I was always inspired by her,” Charlotte said, and this fueled her drive to be better for years.
Everybody must start somewhere; so, Charlotte started off at the Saratoga Battle. This was her first travel team, and she played with them for one year. She played on various teams throughout high school and was on varsity in her freshman year of high school, which is no small feat. Since then, she needed more and decided to play at Foothills Flash AAU program in search of higher skill and more coaching.
Charlotte likes to be a well-rounded person outside of basketball. She has other hobbies that keep her body moving and in shape in the off season. She has been dancing ballet for a long period of her life. According to The Omaha School of Music and Dance, ballet can help many athletes become better by increasing flexibility and body control. It also helps with balance and footwork, and many athletes use it as off-season conditioning.
On top of dancing, Charlotte plays volleyball in the fall. This past season she was on the junior varsity volleyball team as a middle blocker. Although she hasn’t played volleyball for as long as she has basketball, her height and athleticism allow her to succeed in that sport as well.
Having love for a sport can also come with difficulties, especially as a female. Charlotte likes to play at the YMCA after school to get in some extra court time, “Sometimes when I go to the Y,” Charlotte said, “I would play pick up with, you know, just guys.” And this wasn’t the end of it, “they just wouldn’t think to ask me. They would ask around and just skip the girl because they don’t think I’m good, or they think that they’re better.” Some characteristics that Charlotte treasures are her perseverance and her mindset. “I like being underestimated because then I can show them up,” said Charlotte.
Men aren’t the only problem Charlotte has while playing basketball. She also faces adversities within herself. Being an athlete means your biggest opponent is yourself. Charlotte works hard to build confidence on the court and must find ways to tell herself that she deserves to play. Taming the beast that is the human’s self-doubt is not an easy task to do on your own. “I talk to a sports therapist. It would help tremendously to get things off my chest,” said Charlotte.
Charlotte also loves to help others improve their confidence on the court. “Charlotte is the most outgoing person I had ever played with on and off the court,” said Addison Cintora, one of Charlotte’s former teammates and close friend who played with Charlotte for 2 years. “We were playing in a really close game, and she passed me the ball and yelled ‘shoot’, and I did. I made it and she was the loudest person in the gym.”
Basketball will never leave Charlotte, but she doesn’t want to leave it either. After high school, Charlotte plans to play basketball in college, but she doesn’t want just a normal basketball career. “Right now, I’m looking into a military or coast guard kind of thing,” Charlotte said. She hopes to play basketball at a military school, like West Point Military College. While these schools are exceedingly hard to get into–West Point has a 12% acceptance rate—Charlotte works as hard as she can to achieve her goals.
Of course, if West Point doesn’t work out, she has other options under her sleeve.