Zane Bundy receives his letter for boys’ tennis in the fall. (Janine Bundy photos)
Bundy directs action in a recent select soccer game.
Zane Bundy has good taste.
Sure, the Coupeville High School freshman is a talented soccer and tennis player, but he really shines when he talks about his favorites in movies and music.
“My favorite movie is probably “Zombieland!” This is a movie that you can watch a million times and it would still seem funny!,” Bundy said. “I am always listening to music wherever I am, be it in class (when I am allowed to, of course!) or at home.
“I listen to Macklemore a lot. I love all his music, whether it be the funny stuff or the serious ones,” he added. “I also love the classic hip hop like the Beastie Boys and Sir Mix A Lot. And you can’t go wrong with some AC/DC either!”
Sir Mix A Lot, AC/DC and “Zombieland?” At this point, Bundy could be a total klutz with the soccer ball, and he would still be OK in my eyes.
Of course he’s not a klutz. Far from it.
He has dance moves for days (as he proved when he brought down the stadium with his footwork during this year’s Homecoming parade) and is a super-dedicated soccer player, taking to the pitch 11 months a year (he rests in December).
Currently playing state cup games with a team that includes fellow Wolf frosh Dawson d’Almeida, Bundy is part of a fresh wave of talented younger players ready to join an already-strong CHS boys’ soccer program.
Somewhere, low-key Wolf coach Paul Mendes may be permitting himself a smile. A small one, but a smile nonetheless.
Bundy, who has played soccer for half his life (he’s 14) has an enthusiasm for life on the soccer pitch that fairly bubbles over.
“The thing I love about soccer is the cohesiveness that you have to have with your teammates,” Bundy said. “That you have to have teamwork to win and one person cannot win a game, you have to work together to get it done.”
After listening to way too many local athletes try to downplay their own abilities, Bundy is refreshing, reeling off his strengths like a showman, while never coming off as egotistical. Just confident and full of a go-get-’em attitude.
“My strengths … where to start!!!,” Bundy said. “I have a really nice touch on the ball for technical skills — like dribbling and first touches; I have a really nice shot too, whether it be a strong driven kick or a quick little flick around the keeper.
“I also read the game very well, like where to be in positioning in reference to my teammates,” he added. “I am working on my quick bursts of speed during the game and am improving. Just keep kicking the ball around and working on some new moves.”
His goals are simple and direct.
“To play my heart out every game, no matter what team it be and to make varsity Freshman year.”
He’s already made an impact in CHS sports, playing a key role for the Wolf boys’ tennis squad in the fall. Teaming with doubles partner Connor McCormick, they made for a formidable team, with a particular highlight when they thrashed a duo from South Whidbey.
But it’s not all sports for Bundy, who excels in History Day competitions (he placed 7th at state) and blowing up zombies in “Black Ops 2” with friends Loren and Connor and dreams of one day being an Air Force fighter pilot (“I like to go watch the planes do their touch and gos at the air strip by our house”).
He credits his parents, Mark and Janine Bundy, with having a huge impact on his life and also appreciates the time and effort put into his development, both as an athlete and a person, by two of his coaches.
“One person that has had a huge impact on my life and my soccer career is my coach and friend Jose,” Bundy said. “He has helped me on and off the field.”
“Another person would be my teacher (and tennis coach) Ken Stange,” he added. “Stange has helped me in school with my writing skills. But he has helped me as a friend a lot more. He helps me with any problems that I have and will always listen to me jabber on about stuff.”
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