Omena welcomes Ludovico Polic to the community. Ludo is a foreign exchange student from Italy who will be staying with Bill and Susan Krusel for a semester, and attending St. Mary’s High School with their son William. This past week, the Krusels hosted Ludo and his entire family — mother Michela, father Uli, and younger brother Federico — offering them a warm introduction to northern Michigan and the charm of the Omena community. The families became close friends while living in Germany a couple of years ago, and the idea of Ludo spending a semester in the U.S. was born last year. After months of planning, it became reality. During their visit, the family was in awe of the beauty of Leelanau County and the warm welcome they received.
Ludo and William will both be seniors this year. They share a passion for tennis and are teammates on the Glen Lake/St. Mary co-op tennis team. Ludo wasted no time jumping into the action, joining the team just in time for a whirlwind three-day tournament. In fact, Ludo had to say an early goodbye to his family when he and William headed downstate at 4 a.m. with the tennis team for the competition.
The tennis was intense, with matches played against eight different teams in Maple City, Allegan, and Ludington. William and his doubles partner, Oliver Mitchell, had a standout performance, earning the title of “1 Doubles Champs” in Ludington. The pair won seven consecutive matches, after falling only once in a nailbiting tiebreaker. Ludo, competing at No. 2 Singles, contributed to the team’s overall success, helping Glen Lake/St. Mary clinch first place in the Ludington tournament.
