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Nick Simon made the most of his final opportunity as a singles tennis player for York Suburban.
When the Trojans lost one of their top players to an injury (sophomore Evan Andrews), Simon stepped up and filled in nicely.
Simon kept the Class AA YAIAA Championship at York Suburban with his hard-fought 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-1 victory over Biglerville's Mike Rice. Andrews had won the same championship and Division II player of the year as a freshman the year before.
A short-lived district appearance, the first of Simon's career in singles play, followed. Simon dropped his first-round match with eventual District 3 Class AA Champion Nick Bybel of Lancaster Mennonite.
His efforts in leading his team and fulfilling a personal goal have earned him the Daily Record/Sunday News Boys' Tennis Player of the Year for Division II.
With tennis still very much his focus, Simon took some time to answer a few questions about the game and other aspects of his life.
I would have to say winning counties. From my freshman year I made a goal to myself that I would do better each year. And when it came to my senior year, I was like "I have to do this; this is my last chance to make it big and end my senior year on a high note."
So what I did was I just went hard with practicing with private instructors, my coach, working out and trying to make myself in shape as much as possible. It was just practicing hard, and it all paid out.
Name one aspect of your game that you pride yourself on having worked the hardest to improve from the start of your career to your senior season?
My serve.
If there is anything I do take pride in it's my serve because it's one of the most formidable shots in the game. The one you have the most control over.
How did you get it where you wanted it?
It's a part of my game that I have been working on for quite sometime, and it's been changing again and again over the years.
Basically what I've tried to do with my serve, because he's my favorite player and I know he has an excellent serve in the professional sport, is I try to mimic Andy Roddick. I watched him, watched how he served, watched his technique and then worked with my private instructor to do the best I could to mimic his serve.
Who's the toughest opponent you faced this season?
I would have to say the person I played in district singles (Bybel). He was just very consistent; he was just a player who was on another level. It was something I just couldn't compete with at that time.
Didn't he go on to win the Class AA District championship?
Yeah, he was just an amazing player, strong ground stroke, powerful shots and very aggressive at the net. All-around good player.
You could say I lost to the best I guess, and if that's the case then I'm pretty happy about that.
If you could play at a "Player of the Year" level in another sport, which would it be and why?
I would have to say football. I used to play football, and I enjoyed it very much because what I learned from football is that what was important in football is the camaraderie of the team. It's a sport I've always loved and been a fan of.
What position?
Quarterback. Because you get to take a leadership role. I don't know, there's something about the feeling of a leadership role and leading your team to victory.
Summer vacation plans?
I'm going to go to the beach with my parents, Ocean City, N.J., for a weekend at the end of the month.
I'll also be working at a tennis camp this summer at York College and just hanging out with friends. Also, working out and practicing tennis in order to be prepared to play at the college level.
What are your college plans?
I'm going to be attending Kutztown University in the fall, majoring in secondary education. I plan to play tennis for them as well.
What about college are you looking forward to the most?
Just the new experience I guess. I would think of it as a great new experience because it's a total change from what you've been living with for the past 12 years.
Just the fact that you meet new people I guess. It's a new experience life-wise because you live on your own and you're more independent.
Name one place you'd love to visit during your lifetime.
I like to travel to Europe a lot, and I've visited many places there and my favorite was Italy because of the culture and the food.
A place that I haven't been to yet, that I really want to see, would be Hawaii.
Which do you prefer more, texts or phone calls?
I like both. But texting is nice because it's quick and easy, but the negative part is you have to wait to get a response from the other person.
So I guess I would have to say calling on the phone, because on the phone is easier to have a conversation.
What Web site do you find yourself on the most?
I would say ESPN.com. I like to catch up on my sports, or CNN.com. to see what's going on with the news.
What's one thing about Nick Simon that people are usually surprised to learn?
Normally I would consider myself a quiet person, very mellow. But when I get to know someone better I am very lively and energetic. I guess that's one part of me they find very surprising.
A good weekend in Nick Simon's book is spent...?
Spending time with family and friends.
Anything spontaneous really, going out to the movies, quiet dinner, whatever.
What sort of movies are you into?
You're going to laugh at this but I like the romantic kind of films, like "The Notebook" and all those kind.
I don't know, I think it's just something nice to see.
What type of music or artist in particular do you find yourself listening most to right now?
I generally like hip-hop. There's really no particular reason, I like any type of music, but the type I find myself listening to is hip-hop.
I'd say Kanye West is on my playlist more than anyone else.
Big fan of any pro sports or teams in particular?
The only pro sport I really like is tennis. And I really like college football.
The reason why I only pay attention to pro tennis and no other pro sports is because you don't see a lot of steroid use and all that kind of garbage; none of the excess drama.
It's just the players on the court battling it out trying to win a championship for themselves. And I like the fact that tennis is a classy sport and you don't see a lot of nonsense on the court.
You hit the lottery, what's the first thing you spent a significant amount of money on?
Well if I hit the Powerball I guarantee you I would be investing the money. That jackpot is going to get invested. The economy is not so great, and it's a bad time to be wasting money on frivolous items.
All time Favorites
Music (Band or artist): Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think he's a genius.
Movie: "Rocky". Something inspirational.
Restaurant of Fast Food place: Al Dente. I love Italian food.
Vacation spot: Belgium. That is where my dad is from, and I have family there. I visited when I was little and would love to go back.
