Male Athlete of the Month: Nick Venema
Senior Nick Venema loves competition. It is one reason he was drawn to the game of football. “I enjoy how aggressive you can be,” said Nick. “I love getting challenged and overcoming those challenges. I am a competitive person with a drive, and football is a really competitive sport.”
Overcoming challenges is something that Nick knows something about. He has Type 1 diabetes and said he faced his biggest athletic challenge as a sophomore. “I was not expected to play varsity,” said Nick, adding that varsity had been a goal of his. “I realized I needed to get in the weight room more and really make football a priority during the offseason.” And that is exactingly what he did. “By my junior year I was starting.”
His hard work was also rewarded when he was named first team All-Wesco linebacker in 2013 and a second team All-Wesco linebacker in 2014.
In the fall Nick will attend Western Oregon University where he will play football and pursue a degree in criminal justice to achieve his goal of becoming a police officer. “I like to help people and do the right thing, and it has been my dream to be a police officer since I was a little kid,” said Nick.
