When Andy Forte, a senior at Oxford High School, was selected to play on the varsity soccer team as a freshman, his mother Mary Forte, knew he had a promising future.
‘The athletic director sat all the parents down and said ‘don’t expect your kid to go on and play any kind of sport for college unless they make varsity their freshman year.?
And he did.
Four year later, Forte stands poised to continue his soccer career and academic studies at Northwood University in Midland.
Forte, a soft-spoken nineteen year-old, had been playing soccer since he was five and said it was just the thing to do at the time.
‘I just kind of started and kept on playing,? he said.
Forte, who was part of the Orion Oxford Soccer League from 1991-98, entered a contest to kick a soccer ball through a target to win tickets for the ?94 World Cup. And the nine year-old did just that.
‘Getting to watch the World Cup was a pretty memorable moment,? he said.
From 1998-2001, Forte was a part of the LOBOS (Lake Orion Brandon Oxford Soccer) and got to play at the Amhurst Invitational in Buffalo, New York. And from 2002-2003, he played for the Rochester Select Soccer Club, traveling to Lexington, Kentucky and South Bend, Indiana. He said he particularly enjoyed doing Travel Soccer, a sort of soccer league, where his team placed sixth in the state of Michigan.
But Forte isn’t just a soccer player. He’s also a good student.
He was awarded a Northwood Free Enterprise scholarship for his grades, a scholarship for his ACT score, a scholarship for DECA, and he’s also getting a grant from a private donor.
Forte is planning to attend Northwood University in Midland to pursue a career in advertising and marketing. And, of course, he will be playing a lot of soccer.
‘I just enjoy the sport more than anything,? he said.
For those kids out there who are hoping to join the world of soccer, Forte said to make sure to work hard and keep in shape and to decide early on if you’re really in love with the sport.
‘When you get to high school you’ll have to have chosen the sport you want to play because there’s always conflicts with other sports,? he said.
Forte’s mother said she’s very proud of her son and that it’s always nice to see all of his time, and his father John’s time, of transporting him around to different games finally pay off.
‘You always hope it would carry over into college so that he can have fun in college,? she said.