Nathan Lamb, the “black sheep” of the family.
Nathan Lamb is athletic royalty, heir to a legacy that stands with any in Coupeville High School history.
A three-time district champ in tennis (and playing for a fourth title this Saturday) and hard-charging soccer player, he is the last of four Lambs to shine in a Wolf uniform, following in the footsteps of brother Jordan and sisters Taniel and Erica, all multi-sport stars and, frankly, brilliant students.
So there’s a little pressure. Even on a guy who seems pretty serene even when lacing a laser down the line in a tight tennis scrap.
“It’s always been my joke to the family that I am the black sheep,” Lamb said with a laugh. “Not so much in athletics, but I struggle to keep up to them academically. I try my best but have some big shoes to fill and don’t always feel like I manage to fit into them.
“However, in athletics I’d say I match up to my siblings,” he added. “Being as close as I am with my brother, even from a young age, I always wanted to do everything he did and do it just as well. It normally ended with a lot of frustration when I couldn’t, and a talk from my parents explaining that he was three years older than I was, so I shouldn’t be upset about it. But I never really liked that excuse and kept trying to be as good as Jordan.”
Lamb, who teamed with his older brother to win a district doubles title when he was a freshman and Jordan was a senior, has always viewed his brother in a positive light, athletically and otherwise, a view shared by just about anyone who has met Jordan.
“Jordan has always been my role model through my teen years, and still is today,” Lamb said. “Always makes me want to do better and our good friendship has been a great aspect in shaping my life.
“I like to joke that up until he graduated, much of my decisions were based upon “Would Jordan do that?,” he added. “My entire family in general has always been a big influence on me as well, and I’m so thankful for all of them.”
No that he doesn’t want to surpass them. He just wants to do it gracefully.
“He (Jordan) claims that I have passed him by with my athleticism. I’m not so sure, but I plan to spend some time finding out when he returns from Sweden in a couple of months,” Lamb said. “I’ll just leave it that I’m proud to finally be equal to my brother … well, in athletics anyway.”
Lamb, who plans to follow in his brother’s footsteps and serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints after his first semester of college, is having to adapt on the fly as his final district tennis tourney approaches. After playing singles all season, he is teaming up with Aaron Curtin to play doubles, a move that requires him to adjust his mindset a bit.
“I actually enjoy singles a lot more,” Lamb said. “Coach (Stange) suggested Aaron and I play together for districts, and, while I love singles, we thought we might stand a better chance at moving forward in the tourney as a team.
“It has taken a bit to get used to playing doubles again, but I think it will turn out well,” he added. “I have played doubles in the past, so it is not new to me.”
What’s sort of amazing is that a potential four-time district champ is basically just having a good time on the court. Tennis is Lamb’s “just for fun” sport, while soccer remains his true passion.
“Soccer is my favorite. I like the speed of the game, using my feet and having a team and a lot more fans on the sidelines,” Lamb said. “I’ve always loved and played soccer.”
Sports are just the tip of the iceberg for Lamb, who plays some piano (“Despite my mom’s request I didn’t practice as I should, so am not as good at that as I would like”), enjoys photography and making short videos and spends a great deal of time outdoors. He is a triple-threat in the world of boards (snow, wake and long), mountain bikes and has picked up a taste for golf recently.
“I’d say I’m a pretty well-rounded person. But sports have always been my favorite way to spend time,” Lamb said. “I’ve thought a lot about my “favorite” things and I have a hard time deciding on one.
“My parents have told me they think if I would have just stuck with a single sport and played that with all my time and heart, I might have had the potential to go far and maybe have a career in athletics, at least into college with it,” he added. “However that has never been me. I like too many things to just stick to one.”
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