Schools
Ike Exchange Student Rico Plays No. 1 Singles
Eisenhower exchange student Nestor Rico is making himself right at home on the Ike tennis court this year playing No. 1 singles.
Nestor Rico has been in the United States less then two weeks, but he's already making fast friends at Eisenhower High School.
And, he's tearing up the Ike tennis courts.
Rico, a junior from Bolivia, will spend this school year as an exchange student studying at Ike and is hosted and housed by the Antishin family. Tom Antishin is an assistant boys basketball coach and teacher at Eisenhower.
Find out what's happening in Shelby-Uticawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"The Antishins are a great family and I am so happy to be with them," said Rico. "All of the people at the school are very friendly, the teachers and students I've met are nice and this feels like home to me already."
Rico is playing No. 1 singles for the Macomb Area Conference red division Eagles this season.
Find out what's happening in Shelby-Uticawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"Nestor has a calm, confident demeanor," Eisenhower varsity tennis coach Chris Layson said. "He's been a great example to the other singles players and has really fit in well with the rest of our team. He's done very well this year and has had some very good wins."
According to Rico, his strong suits include his forehand, drop shots and volleys and his services are "pretty good", but he's working on them. He's already won the UCS tournament and finished second in the Rochester High School Tournament. His current singles record is 3-2.
"I think the Eisenhower tennis team is the best team you can have," said Rico. "I like all of the boys and the coach is very, very good. We play hard and have a lot of fun at training. I'm very happy at Eisenhower and want to thank all of the people at the school."
Rico will stay with the Antishins until late June, when he will return to Bolivia to complete his final year of studies at his home high school.
"Nestor is a focused young man and is very outgoing," said Antishin. "He's very willing to help around the house and is interested in learning about the United States. He's been a real pleasure to host and he gets along well with our two boys. It's been a good experience so far."
In addition to tennis, Rico is also a big soccer fan and supports Real Madrid.
