This boys’ volleyball season, Mattias Russo-Larsson has shown his versatility for Sage Hill School’s team.
Once a rock-solid libero, he’s now the Lightning’s go-to outside hitter. But adapting and excelling in new situations isn’t anything new to Russo-Larsson.
He’s prolific.
On the court, he runs that way, slides this way, sacrifices his body for a dig or hits a set with all his might.
Off the court, he could be described as a renaissance man. He’s not just a lover of the arts, he’s an artist.
Russo–Larsson can play the piano — he’s composed pieces. He also mixes music. Right now he’s hooked on digitally meshing industrial and house music with hip-hop beats.
He's also into film and graphic design. “A little bit of everything,” he says.
The 17-year-old is already an entrepreneur. He's in charge of a small T-shirt company, eco & friends.
“It’s 100% eco-friendly,” he says. “And, it’s a way for me to use my art work.”
Russo-Larsson also has 10% of the profits go to Trees for the Future, an organization dedicated to planting trees around the world.
During his spring break, this week, he’s on the East Coast visiting art schools, as well as four-year universities so he can continue to play volleyball. Friday he was in Providence, R.I., visiting the Rhode Island School of Design.
Extending his education? Why bother? He already seems to be ready for the world.
“There’s still so much to learn,” he says.
This after taking a year off at Sage Hill to attend school in Stockholm, Sweden. When it comes to athletics for the Lightning, Russo-Larsson is in his fourth year. But in academics at the small private school in Newport Coast, he’s a junior.
He was held back a year after spending 10 months — from August of 2008 to May of 2009 — in Sweden, where he attended Östra Real Gymnasium. Russo-Larsson, known as a passionate competitor among the Lightning, realized he would be forced to sacrifice an athletic year. But it didn’t really make him hesitate to leave.
“I got an opportunity to see the world,” Russo-Larsson says. “That [statement] might be a bit much, but I was in a different culture. It gives you a different perspective. The way they approach culture is totally different. That allows me to think about my life.
