The connections made at Norristown Area High School can last forever. The friendships formed during Mr. Norristown improve the atmosphere of the whole event. This idea is what inspired Ryan Nazionale to join Mr. Norristown. Last year Nazionale became interested in Mr. Norristown through his friend Wilson Prieto, a previous contestant. Nazionale went to rehearsals and learned the ropes of how the event was performed. Being a go-with-the-flow type of guy and constantly wanting to try new things, he realized Mr. Norristown was the perfect event for him. 

Unfortunately getting there wouldn’t be easy. Last year Nazionale suffered from a shoulder injury that made him lose hope for his baseball career. “It ran me down a little bit because I wasn’t able to do a lot of things I normally do,” said Nazionale. 

Despite this Nazionale still had his sights set on this year’s Mr. Norristown competition. His friends, Justin Fryer and Brandon Mancinie have been super supportive and praised Nazionale for how social he is and how he is such an easy person to be friends with. 

Nazionale not only has an interest in Mr. Norristown but other hobbies and interests too, such as a love for music.  His favorite artists are Travis Scott, Lil Uzi, and Tyler The Creator. He described music as a way to relax and lock in, or a way to help him focus. Aside from music, he also loves sports and recently has been looking for some of the more peculiar ones.

“I would want to try pickleball. It seems like a fun sport to play. I started playing volleyball with friends so that’s been fun, tennis, just open new sports and have been playing that activity-wise.”

Nazionale still struggles with the idea of winning, he knows the competition is tough. But for him, Mr. Norristown isn’t about the win, it’s about the connections and experiences that make every contestant a better person and improve everyone’s enjoyment during the show.