It’s one thing to be a high school student and focus on all that comes with that responsibility.

Nick Polydoros takes that one step further – and excels.

A Woodland Hills native, Polydoros is in his senior year at Chaminade High School and will play this coming season on the blue line for the Newbury Park team in the LA Kings High School Hockey League (LAKHSHL).

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And one more thing. Polydoros recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout as a member of the Boy Scouts.

So how does the 17-year-old manage two of his top priorities?

“As I started to get older and had a heavier load at school and a busier hockey schedule, this became more of a challenge,” said Polydoros. “But over time, I figured it out and was able to continue doing both without short-changing one or the other most of the time. Sometimes, my mom would help me decide which commitment was more of a priority whenever I had a conflict. Now that I am an Eagle Scout, I plan to stay involved with the troop, but the conflicts will be much more manageable.”

Polydoros first joined the Boy Scouts in 2010 after he finished fifth grade. A friend of his was bridging into a troop from Cub Scouts.

“I was never a Cub Scout, so this was all new to me,” Polydoros said. “At first, Boy Scouts was a way for me to keep in touch with some close friends that were going to a different school, but then it evolved into something more for me after I discovered that I love hiking, backpacking, and other things that Boy Scouts offers.”

Now as an Eagle Scout, Polydoros has achieved something that only five percent of Boy Scouts ever accomplish.

“To attain the rank of Eagle, you need several years of participation, leadership roles, community service, a minimum of 21 merit badges and the successful planning an execution of a sustainable Eagle project that helps your community,” explained Polydoros. “My project was building and installing wooden storage cubbies for kids to store their backpacks at a local child care center for lower income families. Achieving this rank is special to me because it takes years of dedication and commitment and is not easily reached by the majority of Boy Scouts.”

Growing up, Polydoros tried other sports such as karate, baseball, basketball and soccer for a few years, but his uncle had always loved hockey and got him skating lessons at the local recreation center when he was just six years old.

“A couple of years later, when I didn’t want to play the other sports, my dad told me I had to pick a sport or he would pick for me,” laughed Polydoros. “I told him I wanted to play hockey and never looked back. I started playing in Panorama City in 2009.

“Hockey is an exciting and fast-moving sport, and it’s unique in California. After skating for the first time, I was hooked. It takes thought, skill, and working with your teammates, which all appealed to me.”

With the LAKHSHL season right around the corner, Polydoros wants to cap his high school career on a successful note and then keep the momentum going.

“I look forward to playing well and bonding as a team,” he said. “I hope we will be able to take on any other team in the league and come home with the championship. I hope to continue playing hockey in college on a club team and in life, I hope to get involved in the business world, maybe something with stocks.”

— Matt Mackinder

(Oct. 9, 2017)