Nick Etzell (front) with siblings (l to r) Marisa, Ben and Lucas. (Kristi Etzell photo)
Tennis balls are not safe around Nick Etzell.
The Coupeville High School freshman, who’s also a talented baseball player, tends to take great delight in beating the crud out of the fuzzy yellow balls.
“I enjoy the fun of just smashing a ball against a tennis racket,” Etzell said. “Especially right on the sweet spot!”
Of course, there’s more to the sport than just mashing the ball, and the younger brother of former Wolf netter Ben Etzell, who played in last year’s state doubles tourney to cap his high school career, is quickly developing multiple weapons.
“This is my first year of tennis and I started really playing about a month and a half ago,” Etzell said. “I started playing because I had seen my brother play and I know that it is a sport that I can play my entire life.
“I enjoy the real team spirit and how everyone helps each other out,” he added. “My strengths on the court are my ability to get great topspin on the ball and my forehands.”
Etzell continues to fine-tune his game (“the things I need to work on the most are my backhands and my serves”) and has set solid goals for this season and beyond.
“My goals for this season are to win more than 50% of my matches and to move to #5 doubles at least once,” he said. “Future goals include making it to state and being #1 or #2 doubles.”
A fan of the “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings” and Marvel movies, Etzell spends his free time playing Frisbee and watching sports (“except golf and soccer!”).
He’s the youngest of four in his family, which includes Ben, a freshman baseball player at Saint John’s University in Minnesota and twins Marisa and Lucas, seniors at CHS.
In all things, but especially sports, his older siblings have been positive influences on him as he has grown.
“My brothers, Benjamin and Lucas, have had the biggest impact on my life,” Etzell said.
“Ben would always help me out with my shot in basketball, or challenge me in one-on-one (he would crush me),” he added. “Ben would also show me the proper way to swing in baseball, and, my favorite and most used pitch, the curveball, he showed me how to throw well.”
Lucas, who has Down’s Syndrome, provides a different sort of inspiration.
“Lucas has made me a better person in my daily life,” Etzell said. “He has showed me even when you’re having a bad day, good things can come out of it.
“He’s always been the funniest guy I’ve ever met and he really has changed my life for the better.”
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