Contributed by Tim Rudd

Nate and I played volleyball together. One night this summer we were playing beach volleyball against the best team in our league. They crushed us quickly and we had some time to mess around before the buzzer, so we kept playing. It was super hot and humid that day and the rest of our team wanted to rest, but I was keen to get some practice in. The other team was still fresh and Nate kindly stayed on the court so that we had at least 3 players on our side while the rest of our team rested. I’m not great at spiking but Nate gave me a couple of excellent sets and since I had nothing to lose I just swung hard. Twice in a row I crushed spikes into the backcourt that the other team couldn’t return. I also smashed some serves that they couldn’t return, much harder and more accurate than I ever had before. This was fun for me, but I clearly remember the sparkle in Nate’s eyes as he saw my hits. He would come over and congratulate me after each one. He seemed happier than I was with my success. I had no formal volleyball training and Nate clearly had very solid technique. He always held himself to a high standard of performance, while still remaining very humble. At the same time it was clear that he found genuine joy in other people’s accomplishments. I like to remember him playing volleyball in the sand, under the summer sun, bringing positive energy to the whole team with a sparkle in his eye and no words required. Thank you Nate. You will be missed.