NSHSS is pleased to share another great member experience at the U.S. Scholar Games

Experiences of a Soccer Scholar: the U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games

Grayson Zwing
Myrtle Beach High School 2009
Myrtle Beach, SC

I am immensely thankful for the opportunity to be a part of The National Society of High School Scholars, and I took as much from this experience as I could. To play soccer at the U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games as a representative from NSHSS was a wonderful experience for me. Not only did I meet knowledgeable coaches, but I also had the chance to play alongside skillful players from all around the world. My coach was from Ireland and brought along with him innovative practice routines that I had never experienced before, helping us prepare for the upcoming game. Even though the games, most of the time, were exhausting and intense, each of us, as players, formed a bond as friends that could not be defined along team lines. The teams boasted a variety of players from different nations. Among some of those countries were Egypt, Germany, Nicaragua, and Mauritius. Playing with skilled foreign players brought out the best in me and made my experience a more meaningful one.

As if I could have asked for any more, aside from forging new friendships and playing soccer, twice a day world-recognized and well-known speakers came to address all of us, as scholar athletes, on various subjects. The themes ranged from journalism to the future of the Internet. Among my favorite speakers was U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell. General Powell told of his rough upbringing as a child and how he worked hard to become Secretary of State (2001-2005) under President George Bush. The ability for General Powell to address such a diverse audience with charisma and power really made an impression on me. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear such an esteemed speaker will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Having the ability to participate in such an amazing program really made a difference in my life. Now I have friends from all across the world, from those in my backyard and around the United States, to those on the opposite side of the world in Egypt and Mauritius. Although I traveled to Rhode Island thinking I would only learn more about soccer, I realized that opening up to new experiences and new people is something I cannot replace with any soccer field in the world.