St. Vital youngster’s soccer dreams

St. Vital

Danilo Lourenco is a 13-year-old Grade 8 student at Darwin School.

“School is going well for me,” Danilo said. “I’m getting good grades and my favourite subjects are science and math. I really enjoy science class because my teacher, Mr. Vince, made the classes very entertaining, which kept us engaged in the subject he was teaching. Also, I really enjoy math class because I seem to be a numbers guy and pick up the concepts pretty quickly.”

Danilo really enjoys playing sports.

“The sports that I play primarily are soccer and hockey,” he said. “I also enjoy playing pick-up basketball and football with my friends when we get a game going. I’m mainly focused on soccer because it is my favourite sport. I enjoy soccer because it is the sport I am best at and I have made many good friends that I hope to remain friends with in the future. My main position is CAM (central attacking midfielder), although I feel comfortable playing anywhere the coach needs me. I play for Bonivital. I am being coached by coach Tony Fonseca, and coach Cary McNab. I feel very fortunate to have had all these coaches as I feel they have all contributed to my development thus far. I have to also mention coach Xaviar and coach Kris who run some of our practices at Bonivital. I feel grateful to have had many awesome teammates on all my teams.”

Danilo lives in St. Vital with his dad David, mom Sylvia, and brother Dante.

“I would like to thank both my parents for their support and providing me the opportunity to participate in the sports I love. I appreciate all the time and effort they put into taking not only me, but also my younger brother Dante, to all our soccer and hockey practices/games. Now that I am older, I realize the sacrifices they make for us and we really appreciate it.”

Danilo has a big dream to play pro in one of the top leagues in Europe, and if he keeps working hard he just might do it. He has this advice for other athletes:

“Always work hard, and give your best effort regardless of the situation. I remember seeing a quote somewhere that said ‘Hard work and effort trumps talent’. Also, nobody makes mistakes on purpose. Try to encourage and always be a good teammate.”