While some students were taking a break from study and others were committing to maximising their exam potential, Year 12 student Nathan Broad, was playing tennis in Barcelona, Spain.
Fortunate to be in a family with a tennis court, he began wrangling the tennis racquet at just six years old and discovered he was pretty good at it.
“I played a lot,” he says. “And I’ve been so lucky to have parents who never pushed me, they just supported me.”
Sport was always a big part of his life—soccer, basketball and footy—but tennis was the consistent presence and is now Nathan’s sporting focus.
He trains at Bendigo Tennis Centre with sessions before school twice a week. BSSC is playing its part, accommodating Nathan’s schedule by allowing him the time off when he needs it.
The Barcelona tennis camp gave 15 promising players from across northern Victoria—aged from 22 down to 13 years—the chance to train at the Emilio-Sanchez Academy.
In the lead-up, the athletes put in a big effort to secure sponsorship and prepare for this fantastic opportunity to hone their skills.
“At Emilio-Sanchez Academy we did four hours on court and two hours in the gym Monday to Friday plus Saturday morning.”
Sunday was a chance to be tourists and Nathan said the group enjoyed seeing the Olympic and Soccer stadiums. They also visited the iconic basilica, Sagrada Familia, (put that into google and be amazed!) and other significant heritage buildings in the city.
“It was also great to hang out at the beach,” says Nathan. “And I’d never had paella before—really liked it.
“I definitely benefitted from technical improvements—including getting my centre of gravity lower to strengthen my stance,” Nathan says. “The number of tennis balls I hit each day was insane!”
With his height just a whisker below two metres, Nathan’s stance is particularly important to his game.
While he wants to push his tennis as far as he can, Nathan’s not interested in going pro. His long-term plan is to have a career, but also invest in the next generation of tennis players.
To make this happen, he hopes to enrol with a US junior college, commencing next August, where he can study and play tennis and then complete a degree in physiotherapy, biomedicine or sports management.
“The big dream is to have a career where I continue to enjoy sport and maybe even run my own club.”
Meanwhile, Nathan is thriving at BSSC. “I think about the college as a place where people get lifted up to reach their potential. I definitely recommend it.”
He’s found the college more like a uni, and expects tertiary studies will be easier because of his time here.
“I really like the relationships between teachers and students at senior—it’s not like a boss telling you off all the time.”
Nathan is aware the freedoms given to students at the college are frequently mentioned by his peers, but says it means a lot to be able to head into town to have lunch with his friends.
“Even my parents see its value.”
The academic aspects of school have never been particularly challenging for Nathan—and the high level of exercise associated with his sport means stress has a hard time building up.
He also knows that, for him, stress is a sign of a lack of preparation. “It’s like when I’m training: if I’m prepared, there’s no need to stress.
“My parents have told me I have a really good memory, so maybe that’s part of it. I do work hard in study periods, and I feel like I’m on track.
“I’ve also chosen subjects because there’s something about them I really enjoy.”
Nathan’s favourite study approach is to use practice questions. Alongside this he uses a phone app with imagery of a tree that grows at a pace according to the length of the study period he plans.
This keeps him from being distracted because his phone is timing the session letting him know where he’s up to—based on the development of the tree.
“I think learning to be disciplined in your free time is both the most challenging and biggest advantage of the study periods. If you use them wisely it really sets you up to do well.”
This year Nathan is studying English, Business Management, PE, Psychology, and Geography. He completed 3/4 General Maths in Year 11.
Despite his VCE schedule, Nathan presently has a casual job and says mowing lawns when he was in Year 8 allowed him to dabble with a simple business model and learn a lot.
Not really into gaming these days, Nathan also learnt a great life-lesson about gaming during Covid.
“Playing games all the time won’t get you far. It would be great to go back and give my younger self this advice: ‘Focus on long-term benefits rather than short-term fun’.
“Putting in—especially during the last three years of school—will actually allow you to have more options and more fun later in life.
He’s very grateful for his faith, his family and his friends and asks rhetorically: “where would I be without these in my life?”
“My mum is really hard-working, and I want to be like that too, but I model my life on the teachings and values of Jesus Christ.”
