Every mother enjoys watching her son pretend to hit that game-winning jumper in the driveway to win a championship or running around the yard celebrating catching the pass that wins a Super Bowl.

But every mother still has that one fear that comes with sports. It comes when she sits in the bleachers cheering on her child. Suddenly, she hears it. It’s the sound of her son’s leg cracking as he is hit to the ground. From her seat, she can hear his breaking leg. Those thoughts of brutal injuries plague every mother’s mind.

NIU junior Brian Livingston’s mother was no different.

“My mom was always scared of me getting hurt,” Livingston said. “I was really small as a kid.”

Growing up in Skokie, Livingston’s mother wanted him to play a sport. But she wanted the sport to be played indoors and in the winter.

Tennis came to Livingston without him even asking. He didn’t even know that he was going to his first tennis lesson until he was already there. But that one lesson sowed the seed. After his first experiences, Livingston was hooked.

“I like that it’s an individual sport,” Livingston said. “I don’t like to depend on others and I don’t like to sit out.”

While his friends were playing football and basketball, Livingston was spending hours practicing tennis. He would spend 12 hours a week as a kid improving his skills and pushing himself to get better.

He sacrificed his social life for a sport he was growing to love. His school friends never understood why he put so much passion into tennis. But through all the sacrifices, Livingston learned a virtue that helped shape who he is – discipline.

Livingston says that tennis requires both mental and physical discipline. The mental approach required for tennis helped shape the Skokie native into a very goal-oriented person. Livingston admits to having a tendency to over-analyze situations, both on and off the court, because of the high goals he sets for himself.

But Livingston also attributes his tendencies to his older brother. He was always trying to beat his brother in everything, which helped him to set high goals for himself.

“Growing up, I lost to him in everything we did,” Livingston said. “He was bigger and he was stronger.”

But that competition helped make Livingston into a stronger person, especially on the tennis court. All the hours of practice and discipline finally paid off at NIU.

“Brian came in as a freshman and set the bar very high for himself,” said NIU tennis coach Pontus Hiort. “He continuously works hard to achieve his goals.”

As a freshman, Livingston wanted to be the conference newcomer of the year.

Place a check mark in that box.

Livingston wanted to be named first-team All-MAC.

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And in his junior year, Livingston was able to leap over the highest bar yet: Conference Player of the Year.

Livingston’s passion and success with tennis is a perfect example of any mother’s dream. His mom is able to watch her son succeed in a sport he loves. But she is also able to rest easier in the stands, knowing that her inner fears of injury has been diminished.