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Fair Hewlett reisdent Ethan Nus is dreaming of swimming at the 2024 Olympics
Woodmere Middle School seventh-grader and Hewlett resident Ethan Nus, 13, is a record-breaking youth swimmer who has the drive and motivation to keep improving at his craft.
Nus swims for the Long Island Aquatic Club, a team that consists of swimmers from across the bi-county region. In his three years with LIAC, Nus has set eight team records in the 11 to 12-age range. He also swims for the Woodmere Middle School team. He is also top 10 in the United States in four different events, also in the 11 to 12-age range.
Swimming since he was 6, Nus said his sister, Jenna, who is 16 months older, influenced him. At the time, Jenna swam competitively for the Hewlett Swim Club, which inspired Nus to begin his swimming career.
“We used to live in Brooklyn and would go to the beach often,” Nus said. “My mom wanted me to watch after my sister when we would go in the water (for safety). I played other sports such as baseball and soccer when I was younger, but I eventually realized that I loved swimming the most.” Deanna Nus believes that her son’s desire to always improve himself, leads to his success in the pool and performing music. “My husband and I always try to push our kids to be better, but I believe that Ethan is just one of those kids that goes above and beyond with his efforts,” Deanna said. “He is a motivated kid. An example of this outside of swimming is that he likes to play piano and he’s able to teach himself to play new songs just by listening to it.”
Rabbi Nochem Tenenboim, who leads the Chabad of Hewlett where the Nus family are members, thinks that Nus is a role model by the way he comports himself, whether swimming or doing schoolwork. “Ethan’s an exceptional young man,” Tenenboim said. “He sets a great example for his peers not only with his efforts with swimming, but also with his studies.”
Setting the record for the 400-meter individual medley race at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow last June was Nus’s favorite moment of his swimming career, he said, because of the underdog aspect. “This was a race that I wasn’t favored to win,” Nus said. “I didn’t just win it, I shortened the record by about 30 seconds. The hard work paid off.” Nus’s record time was 5:04.45. A medley race encompasses four different swimming styles: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.
Nus said that he cannot recommend swimming enough to children thinking about taking up the sport. “For anybody who is interested in swimming, but is still unsure about making the commitment to it, I can honestly say that starting swimming was the best decision I made,” he said. “It teaches time management and it’s one of the best sports to do to stay fit.”
Deanna said that the ultimate goal for her son is to represent the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. “Ethan has always been gracious and humble,” she said. “He hopes his hard work, dedication, and sacrifice will put him on a path towards achieving his dream of making the Olympic games.”
