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While 17 year-old Lively native
Mitchell Nyssen is definitely a multi-sport athlete, he is also
something of a rarity in these parts. He may be quite gifted
athletically but his sporting interests surprisingly do not include
hockey. Still, that’s hardly stopped him from making quite a name for
himself as an active member of the Lively Hawks fraternity.
While he did don the
skates for a stint at the Mickey Mouse level, it was clearly volleyball
that really drew his attention. “I remember going to Cambrian practices
when I was still in elementary school” said Nyssen, who followed older
sister Stephanie Fisher out to the post-secondary courts.
Although he remembers
keeping active, always playing hoops in the driveway or fooling around
at an outdoor rink, the volleyball realm provided the real challenge.
“When I was in Grade 5 (at Jessie Hamilton Public School), I remember
watching the senior guys playing” said Nyssen, who went on to star at
the Walden public elementary school.
It seemed only natural
that Nyssen would look to make a smooth transition on the court as he
hit the secondary school level. “I came into high-school expecting to
play the left-side again….but we didn’t have another setter”, he notes
of his start at the position where he has since made his name,
quarterbacking Hawks teams to various titles along the way.
As a junior in Grade 10,
Nyssen played a key role in helping lead the Lively Sr Hawks to a
Division “B” title, followed one year later by a city championship. And
while the 2007 season may not have produced a second straight SDSSAA
crown, it did offer a third straight trip to OFSSA and the school’s best
performance yet, finishing fourth.
While it might seem that
Nyssen’s love of volleyball may have been a full-time pre-occupation in
his youth, the truth is that basketball garnered at least as much
attention for the well-spoken teen. “I certainly grew up with basketball
as well and had some success with it, but volleyball has always been
most appealing to me.”
Still, Nyssen continues
to lead the Lively Hawks in scoring again this year, averaging more than
15 points per game. And when it came time for the Walden crew to enter
the high-school football loop this past fall, it came as little surprise
that Nyssen should find himself strapping on the helmet and pads for a
shot at the gridiron.
“Jacques Barbeau was
trying to encourage everyone to get out to tryouts. I had never played
before and I guess it was kind of like an experiment” said Nyssen, who
would find a spot as a wide receiver for the Hawks. While the team did
not hit the win column in Year 1, that didn’t prevent the experience
from being worthwhile.
“The first game, I
didn’t expect there to be 500 fans – it was such a good atmosphere”,
admits Nyssen. Through it all, the Grade 12 Lively student notes that
there is something of a similarity in terms of his approach to many of
the sports. “I would like to think that I am modest and knowledgeable –
a student of the game”, says Nyssen.
And while he concedes
that he could spend hours contemplating offensive schemes on the
basketball court, it still doesn’t provide the same allure as
volleyball. “There’s something about volleyball – the fact that you’re
team is only as good as your weakest player…the fact that when you have
the ball, you have almost complete control.”
The past few years have
provided Nyssen with many amazing teammates and friends, among those the
Lively Twin Towers of Andre and Adam Leblanc. The 6’6” twins have worked
closely with Nyssen over the past two years, the powerful pair
complementing Nyssen’s accurate setting quite nicely.
“Playing with the twins
has been awesome. I have really enjoyed watching their development.” The
Leblancs raw and powerful athleticism provided many memorable attacks
but it is the subtlety of their game this year that most impressed
Nyssen. “Their passing this year – so many less unforced errors for our
team – they were certainly a big key to our success.”
And as for what lies
ahead for Mitchell Nyssen? He seems far less certain than the rapid and
accurate reads he must make as a setter when it comes to this question.
Perhaps one more year of high-school and a chance to throw on several
Hawks’ uniforms one last time. Perhaps a move on to the Canadian college
ranks, looking to crack a lineup either in volleyball or basketball.
But without a doubt,
Mitchell Nyssen is sure to remain quite active. And he wouldn’t have it
any other way.
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