September 7, 2009 

BULLDOG TENNIS STAR GIVES LESSON TO WORLD LEADER

It's not every day you get to play tennis with a world leader, let alone offer instructions.  But for Bryant University men's tennis sophomore Nicholai Hill, that's exactly how he spent his summer. 

Hill, a native of Ontario, Canada, spent the summer serving as the head junior instructor at Ottawa's Rockcliffe Lawn Tennis Club. There he taught youth the game of tennis while staying in shape in preparation for the upcoming Bulldog season.

One of his students at the club happened to be Ben Harper, the son of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  Not too long ago, Ben picked up the game of tennis while playing with his father and enjoyed it so much, he got a membership where he could play every day. 

Looking to sharpen his skills, Harper signed up his son to take lessons from the junior instructor, Bryant's very own Nicholai Hill.

For the rest of the summer, Hill worked with Ben daily, teaching the finer aspects of tennis.  Things went so well that near the end of summer, Stephen Harper, the leader of Canada's Conservative Party, inquired about receiving lessons himself.

Amid the presence of tight security, Hill offered the eldest Harper three private lessons in the sport of tennis. While most of his classmates will return to campus with stories of travels and summer vacations, Hill will certainly top them all with his special tennis lessons.

"It's a pleasure to coach individuals such as Nicholai, who are not just talented players on the court, but men with outstanding character," said Bryant coach Ron Gendron. 

"Thanks to the work of Brenda Doran in admissions, we  have some outstanding transfers such as Tom Nowak, Jose Rodriguez, Nick Raho, Peter Hart Callahan, Juan-Martin Parades, and of course, Nicholai. They have all come to Bryant for different reasons and have all excelled on the court and are outstanding community members."