Reimers fits right in at Grayslake North

Once Grayslake North boys tennis coach Jill Tomasello learned that Nils Reimers, a foreign exchange student from Germany, was a tennis player, she put on the full-court press.

"He wasn't sure if he would have the time, but after I (kept) approaching him he decided to come out for the team," Tomasello said.

It turned out to be a great decision for Reimers and Grayslake North.

Reimers, 17, has enjoyed the experience of being on a high school team, and he has helped the Knights show great improvement in the their second varsity season.

Even though Reimers was thrown into the No. 1 singles spot, he has a better than .500 record. What makes this even more impressive is that in Germany he played tennis indoors, exclusively on clay.

"You can't really slide into the (shot here) and the ball bounces differently," said Reimers, whose family lives about 30 miles north of Hamburg. "I prefer clay but I'm used to it now."

His teammates are impressed at the way he has negotiated a new surface while playing outdoors in windy conditions.

"It's amazing that he was able to switch to a hard court where the wind is such a factor," senior Kevin Aukee said. "You can tell that he's been taught indoors because he has such good form."

Reimers has a big serve and solid all-around game.

"He has very consistent ground strokes," Tomasello said. "He's a smart and he knows how to make great shots. He's fit right in."

Reimers lives with his host family, Thomas and Stacy Smith in Lindenhurst.

"I have a really good relationship with them," Reimers said. "We really connected."

Reimers, who also enjoys playing soccer, arrived in the Grayslake area in July. He had been taking English classes in school since fifth grade, which eased his transition. He talks with only a slight accent and speaks fluent English.

"He picked up the slang really fast," Aukee said. "He's got a good sense of humor and knows what everybody is saying."

Reimers was motivated to spend a year away from home because he knew it would benefit him in numerous ways. In the future, Reimers would like to work in international business.

"I wanted the experience of meeting other people and seeing how they live," he said. "It's a big deal to be in another country for a year, and I knew it would make me a lot more independent."

Reimers is a very good student, and he made a quick transition to high school academics. He said if he had another semester at Grayslake North he would enjoy taking AP classes.

Reimers has attended baseball games at Miller Park in Milwaukee as well as Wrigley Field. He also enjoys exploring the city of Chicago. Recently, he went on a trip with other exchange students to Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

"I thought Hollywood would be a little more glamorous," he said. "Compared to Los Angeles, Chicago is much more interesting."

He will return home to Germany at the end of the school year. After about a two-month break, he said he will begin the rough equivalent of American college.

In addition to seeing his family and friends, he can't wait to chow down on some authentic German food.

"I didn't expect to miss German food so much," he said.

Reimers hopes to return to America to show his family where he lived, where he went to school and what Chicago is like.

One of his best experiences was playing tennis for Grayslake North.

"Sports are really important here and everybody knows who's on the teams," he said. "I met a lot of nice people (through tennis). It keeps me busy and is a lot of fun."