Overachiever

Multi-Sport Star Nathan Turk Is Catholic Youth Organization’s Athlete of the Year 

Nathan Turk just completed his eighth-grade year at Corpus Christi School, but he did not graduate before leaving an indelible mark on the Wildcats’ proud athletic program. The 10-year El Medio Bluffs resident became the school’s first male recipient of the Catholic Youth Organization’s Athlete of the Year Award. Turk is only the second Corpus student to win the award, joining multi-sport star Kerry Keefe, who won the CYO’s Female Athlete of the Year Award in 2018. Excelling in football, basketball and volleyball, Turk was selected among hundreds of boys in the Los Angeles Archdiocese for his athleticism, commitment to academics, citizenship and other extra curricular activities. He will attend Loyola High School in the fall where he hopes to continue his athletic success. In the following  interview with Palisadian-Post Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo, Nathan shares his thoughts on winning the award, growing up in the Palisades and his future goals:   

PP: Growing up, did you play basketball or flag football at the Palisades Recreation Center, AYSO soccer or PPBA? Did you ever win the championship?

NT: Yes, I played all four! I played basketball with the Rec Center for a year in fifth grade. I played flag football for as many years as I can remember at the Rec as well. I played AYSO soccer from kindergarten through second grade and my team won the championship in second grade. I played in the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association from kindegarten through fifth grade. My final year in PPBA I played on the Orioles and we won the World Series!

PP: What positions did you play in each of your sports? Which sport do you think you are best at and which do you like the most?

NT: In football, I have played tight end as well as offensive and defensive line. In basketball I played center. In volleyball I play middle blocker. I think I am the best at football and that is also my favorite sport.

PP: What extra-curricular activities have you been involved with at Corpus and what is your GPA?

NT: I play the electric guitar and I have performed at concerts at Corpus since third grade. I was also a member of the Academic Decathlon team at Corpus and I placed first in Math for our region and eighth nationally. My grade point average this past semester was a 4.0.

PP: Why did you choose Loyola High? Given how strong the Cubs are in all three sports, do you think you will be able to play them all?     

NT: I picked Loyola High School because along with the very strong academics, it is known for having top-ranked sports teams. Also, my older brother attends Loyola and plays football.  As a freshman, I am hoping to play all three sports—football, basketball and volleyball.  I look forward to the academic challenge but realize I might need to scale back to one or two sports.

PP: What are you future goals? Would you like to play college athletics? If you had to choose one sport, which would it be?

NT: My future goals for now would be to try my hardest to get into a top college and hopefully play football there too.   

PP: What are some of your proudest accomplishments at Corpus? Did you win any league championships?

NT: I am proud of ranking nationally in the Academic Decathlon, for being awarded the CYO Athlete of the Year for the second time in Corpus history and also for winning the Corpus Millennium Award this year.   This year, our boys varsity flag football team won the Gld Division championship and came in second place in volleyball to American Martyrs.

PP: Corpus has won the Palisades Cup (a competition with St. Matthew’s and Calvary Christian) the most times. How much pride do you take in that?

NT: It is important that Corpus has won it the most times because it gives athletes at our school extra motivation to work hard so we can keep this title.

PP: What do you like to do besides sports and school? What are some of your hobbies? Where do you like to hang out around town?

NT: Outside of sports and school I like to play the guitar, go to the beach, and bike around town. My friends and I like to hang out near Garden Cafe and the Village.

PP: What club volleyball team do you play for?

NT: I play forPac 6 on the 14U team. We had a good season and improved a lot as a team and personally. Actually, my coach is Sinjin Smith’s son, Hagen. I really like him.

PP: Do you have brothers or sisters and do any of them play sports? 

NT: Yes, I have three siblings—two brothers and one sister. My older brother Ryan graduated from Corpus two years ago and was also the school’s Male Athlete  of the Year. He plays offensive guard and tackle on the varsity football team at Loyola. My younger brother Graham will be going into seventh grade at Corpus. He plays flag football and is on the 12U squad for Pac6 Volleyball. My younger sister Vivienne is going into fifth grade. She is an equestrian and plays soccer and club volleyball. She was coached by Kristin Keefe.

PP: Do you root for any of the local professional or college teams? What athletes do you admire?

NT: I am a huge Rams fan. My favorite athletes are [Rams linemen] Aaron Donald and Andrew Whitworth because they play the same positions as me and both demonstrate hard work, dedication and sportsmanship on and off the field.