Nicole Kane is from Arlington Heights Illinois and will be attending The University of Wisconsin Madison in the fall to study genetics, in hopes of becoming a doctor. In high school she has been a part of several clubs, sports and volunteer opportunities. She is a part of Class council, The National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, Interact Service Club, and is the manager of the boys varsity gymnastics team. Nicole is a four-time state qualifier for girls gymnastics and has placed 3rd and 2nd two times at the IHSA state meet on the uneven bars. She actively volunteers: packing food for in need third world countries, aiding the elderly at Lutheran Home near her house, and sets up events at Gigi’s playhouse for children with special needs. Model airplanes have been a part of Nicole's life since the beginning. Her parents met at the NATS in Nebraska in 1987, and since then pylon races have been all she knows. From traveling to Switzerland to support the FAI F5D team, which included her dad as a competitor when she was only three months old, to traveling to Australia and the Netherlands to support the F3D teams, as a middle schooler, looking up to the sky to see the planes zip by was her childhood. She has been fortunate enough to make some amazing friends along the way from Italy to Venezuela. This organization has provided her with amazing experiences she will cherish forever and hope to pass along to her future family. As a little kid Nicole enjoyed free flight planes. She would build planes in her basement and it was a fun activity with her dad. It was amazing helping build those tiny pieces of balsa into flying little aircrafts. She then evolved into flying control line and RC planes. She would go to the local Forest preserve with her dad, brother and dad's best friend to fly the boomerang like planes. It always amazed her watching her dad and brother compete, and she wanted to be just like them. As a modeling family they would travel every year to various completions including the AMA NATS. This was a great summer activity where Nicole would get to play with kids from around the country and was able to create lifelong friendships. She would also volunteer as a pylon course worker and that also helped her learn to meet other people and share her love of this great hobby. Nicole's grandpa, Pete Waters, was a VP for the AMA for many years and is a Hall Of Fame Member. Her Grandpa Kane was also very active competing in both free flight and pylon racing. Her mother is a contest director, former starter of the NATS and won the AMA scholarship herself in 1990. Her dad was inducted last year to the Pylon Hall of Fame and that was a wonderful moment for their family. Nicole's brother Jack, has competed at the NATS in Pylon and won best senior last year in one of his events. Nicole is extremely grateful to the scholarship committee for granting her the scholarship, which will greatly help with her future endeavors. She is the person she is today because of her family and the connections they have to the AMA and pylon racing.
