Whether in the stands or on the sidelines as the team manager, sophomore Nick Greene attends every home game, and several away games that the Quaker teams play. “Sports are a huge part of my life,” said Greene. “I am the Quaker Superfan.”
Despite his passion for sports, Greene is unable to play on any team, this is due to the fact that Greene has autism, and additionally, one of his legs is shorter than the other. He doesn’t let these setbacks stop him, however, from getting involved in sports by managing teams and avid spectating all things Quaker.
As a team manager for many sports including baseball, Greene provides support to the team by helping with a variety of duties. In the past, he was tasked with keeping the scorebooks, which came quite easily to Greene. Through his managerial duties, he’s gained skills in more than just keeping track of the scores. Greene had also grown socially. “I used to not be that social, but when I joined sports, that all changed,” he said. “I can now talk to more people and coaches.”
Because of his involvement Greene found a way to be a part of the team and interact with the athletes as their peer and fellow enthusiast. “You get to be on the field when they get announced and get to celebrate when they win,” he said. Greene knows that his passion for sports comes from his family, where his father, and his father’s father, had enjoyed watching games, whether in person or through television. “My dad and his dad used to go to Nascar races,” he explained. “They would also go to some baseball games and watch sports on TV.”
During his time as a team manager for baseball, Greene was able to try out the sport, which he greatly enjoyed. “A memorable moment of being a sports manager was when I got to throw a baseball around and got to hit,” Greene said. He would throw the baseball and imagine himself as a pitcher, or hit during batting practice. No matter what sport he played, Greene said he had the opportunity to try out the sports that he loved with the support of his teammates. “It seemed like in every practice or game I went to, I got to do something with the sport I loved,” he said. “My teammates were always supportive.”
After high school, Greene plans to keep sports involved in his life, looking forward to coaching a team of his own in the future. He said that he had been around many of the coaches at his own high school, and had gotten to see their coaching styles and how they encouraged the players, “I have been around a lot of the coaches and have seen how they coach,” said Greene. As a coach, Greene said that he hopes to help students and athletes that have disabilities, as well as take his teams to many State championships. “I hope to stay a Quaker, even after high school,” he said.
Story by Lucy Foxworthy