Student-Athlete of the Week: Ben Bicknell

Though he hasn’t been a Niwot student for long, junior Ben Bicknell is happy with his decision to transfer from neighboring Silver Creek, especially after his weekend with coach Miikka Keronen and the boys at this year’s Class 4A Tennis Championships earlier this month. There, the junior lost just three games in a run through the No. 3 singles bracket to his first-ever state finals match. Though he ended as state runner-up, Bicknell recalled the event as “the best time I’ve had this year.”

“I’ve never been to state with an entire team because Silver Creek wasn’t as good,” he said. “So this was a completely different experience.”

Despite coming to the team from an archrival, Bicknell said he was instantly welcomed by his Niwot teammates and never felt like an outsider. That was also echoed by Keronen, who called the former Raptors’ No. 2 player a “great addition” to the Cougars and credited this year’s unusually strong team chemistry as a factor in their impressive run to second place at the state championships.

“He fit right in and the guys got along great,” the longtime coach said of his new singles player. “The team unity was amazing this year. One of the best I’ve seen in 29 seasons.”

With the high school tennis season now behind him, Bicknell is gearing up to share another passion with the Niwot community.

“I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember,” Bicknell said. “It’s my favorite thing in the world to do. It makes me so happy.”

Bicknell has been active in choir and musical drama since his earliest school days, and has gravitated to pop and rock as his favorite genres, though he is happy to perform “anything but country.” He’s also had a robust musical theatre career, with leading roles in Grease and High School Musical. He claims Ed Sheeran and Frank Sinatra as main influences, and eventually wants to write his own material. Eventually, Bicknell plans to make singing his career, whether in performing or in musical education.

His ambitions lie beyond the school stage, however. Last year, he was “almost” a contestant on televised singing competition The Voice, which isn’t quite as exciting as you might think, according to Bicknell.

“It’s a lot of waiting in line at first,” he said. “Then you get to a producer, and you sing for them, and if you like them you move on.”

Performing House of the Rising Sun (one of his “all time favorites”), Bicknell made it to three audition rounds, but didn’t advance. However, he is hoping for another shot at televised competition and is keeping an eye out for upcoming auditions.

When he’s not on the court or on the stage, Bicknell might be somewhere writing, which is probably his favorite academic pursuit. He also enjoys his biology classes. After graduation, he is hoping to attend college in the south or on the east coast, where he hopes to pursue music in some capacity.