William Shary

Other Sports & Activities

I am an athlete who has always competed at the highest level.  I played first line AAA Hockey with two US national team members and was selected to the Major League Soccer development academy prior to converting to football my senior year of high school.  I was first team All-Ohio Capital Conference, as selected by the coaches, averaging nearly 42 yards per punt.  My training to punt and kick began just a year ago, and I am already competing very successfully with the best in the country, many of whom have several years of experience advantage over me.

I love football - punting and kicking allow me to be such a critical part of my team's success - I don't consider myself just a specialist, but rather a vital member of the whole team.  I'm accustomed of being the go-to-guy under pressure - the guy my teammates count on with the game on the line.

My interest in football started when our high school team needed a fill-in at punter and kick-offs after the 3^rd game my junior year.  I was drafted by the coaches to serve until the regular punter returned, even though I had never had pads on, never punted a football, and could only practice in walk-throughs, due to playing soccer.

This spring, the football coaches recommended that I get a lesson, and I sought out a trainer who had trained a large number of scholarship and pro kickers from Ohio, and I quickly became hooked.  Since I’m the set-piece and goal-kick guy on my soccer team, kicking off the ground was natural, and I made quick progress with field goals, able to hit 55 yarders with the same mechanics as my short kicks.  My trainer had enough confidence after three practices to send me to a MAC-school position camp, and I graded out 19 of 20 on around-the-world and am one of two candidates they are pursuing for this year.

My challenge is making 5-star progress in a hurry, and that’s why I sought out Kohl’s.  I was pleased to see how I stack up against the nation’s best and what I need to do in the coming months to be on the top of the list.  The 2011 Scholarship Camp was the first time I was able to compete on field goals, kick offs and punting, and I loved it.  If not for a time penalty on punting, I would have been in the top 20 in all three (won’t make that mistake again), and I know I’m capable of winning the field goal competition the next time.  I intend to take full advantage of Kohl’s development and competition programs, in addition to my own practice and training, to make it to the top.