Posted October 3, 2013
For Peter Wing (17), his goal in life is to make goals the rest of his life. The Denver Online High School senior is following his dream of becoming a professional soccer player after getting scouted to train with club teams in Germany and England this coming November.
The adventure all began when Wing started playing soccer at three years old. Both of his parents were athletic; his dad played soccer at Fresno Pacific and his mom competed in college volleyball in Peru. “They definitely had an influence in helping me find soccer,” Wing said about his parents.
Wing started playing on Colorado Rush U18 three years ago, which is a developmental academy that cultivates players for college and professional teams. While at a coaching class, Wing’s father came across a scout who was interested in the video recordings that Wing’s father does of many soccer games. Soon the scout was at one of Wing’s games and took a liking to how he played. The rest was history.
The scout didn’t take long to get Wing seen internationally, Wing making his first overseas debut when he was 14. This coming November, Wing will again head to Nuremberg, Germany and Manchester, England to train with multiple professional club teams. Clubs already on the line-up include IFCN, Manchester Academy, and Bayern Leresche Uzen. With the hopes of getting a signed contract when he turns 18, Wing will spend a week training with each club.
This definitely isn’t something that every high school soccer player gets the chance to do. “It’s like a personal invitation over,” Wing said about getting the opportunity to practice with the professional teams. He is pursuing these international clubs because he says they just have a different type of passion for the game not seen in the U.S. “They don’t create soccer players, they create athletes.”
But the chance to claim his dream came with a life that is also atypical of a normal high school student. This is Wing’s first year at Denver Online after being recommended by Wheat Ridge High School’s counselor, “It just seemed a lot more fitting to my schedule.” He said except for the location, Denver Online doesn’t feel any different than regular school. The competitive soccer player appreciates the flexibility that the online learning environment provides, “At school, you’re required to be there for six periods. It felt like a waste of time. With online school, I can get schoolwork done a lot easier, and it’s more helpful than just sitting at school and wasting time. I like it a lot more.”
Wing travels out-of-state on many occasions for games, including one week in Dallas and another week in Florida for two of the largest college showcases in the nation. And with his upcoming trip abroad, school has to be adaptable. That’s where Denver Online fits perfectly into his life. With assignments all posted at the beginning of the semester, he can work ahead before he leaves for games and then catch up easily on his own time when he returns. While online learning is new for Wing, he said he doesn’t battle with it, and it’s not overly complicated. “To go to Germany, I have to have a high school diploma. It’s not an option. That’s kind of my motivation. To go on this adventure, I have to get it done.”
Denver Online’s aim is to help each student succeed by creating personalized education plans that fit to each student’s unique circumstances. In this case, a soccer goal 5,000 miles away is a goal reached for Denver Online.
**Watch the alumni speech Peter Wing performed at Denver Online’s graduation ceremony here.