The Kevin Gray Awards, presented by Pepsi, are presented annually to soccer players in the Kansas City area for outstanding performances in a single season. Many Gatorade Player of the Year winners and First Team All-State selections have earned Kevin Gray Award honors. However, it is a unique occurrence that we have the pleasure of bestowing this award upon a player whose performance on the field can truly be matched by his performance off the field.
Derek Schrick, the 2012 Kevin Gray Awards Youth Male Player of the Year and a product of the Sporting KC Development Academy, is one such player. During a calendar year, Schrick will work 10 soccer camps around the Kansas City area. He primarily assists at Sporting KC and Rockhurst High School, but will also work camps for UMKC.
Schrick's coaching camp travels take him as far as Sedalia, Missouri, but he still finds a way to make it look easy. “Not only do I try to teach kids new skills in soccer, I always try to make their experience as enjoyable and positive as I can," Schrick said. "Balancing playing, school, and giving back is a challenge, but it can be done with hard work.”
In addition to coaching camps, Schrick gives up more of his time to volunteer with Special Olympics of Kansas City, as well as a program called the UMKC Bags of Fun Soccer Camp, which raises money to buy toys for children in hospitals.
Schrick was named the 2012 Kevin Gray Awards Youth Male Player of the Year after his senior year at Rockhurst High School, where he was named Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year, one of the highest honors a high school athlete can earn. Going into his freshman season at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Schrick was ranked #66 in an ESPN Rise poll and was a Top Drawer Soccer four-star recruit. Schrick played in 16 games for the Mustangs and registered his first point by delivering a game-winning assist in overtime against Harvard. After his freshman season, he transferred closer to home and joined UMKC. Schrick began what will surely be an exceptional career by scoring in the first game of the 2013 season against Wisconsin.
Schrick’s strong performance on the field and commitment to giving back makes him the ideal selection for a Kevin Gray Awards Player of the Year. Look out for him in the future -- if his passion for giving back to the sport continues, there may be an award named after him some day.
Check back on Wednesday to read about our next Kevin Gray Awards Spotlight, Matt Besler! And for all things Sporting Club Network, be sure to follow us on twitter, @SportingKC_SCN, and like us on Facebook!
