 |
|
| Neal Danis |
Soccer is a sport with a massive following around the globe — except the
U.S. Here it has to compete in a world of baseball, (American) football
and — most noticeable at RIT — hockey. But that doesn’t stop Dan
Holowaty from playing the game he loves.
Holowaty, a fifth year International Business and Accounting major,
had an excellent season with eight goals and four assists. His soccer
career started long ago, back when he was a toddler. “My uncle [Danny
Zawadiwsky] in the major leagues brought a soccer ball over and I just
kicked it around,” Holowaty said. “I remember kicking it around in the
back yard until the sun went down.”
Holowaty visited RIT on a recruiting trip and played in the spring
tournament with the team. “I had a good vibe [about the team] which
ultimately led to my decision to come here,” he said. Since then he has
been playing for RIT. He has also completed an internship at Wolf
Real Estate, along with studying abroad in Croatia with some fellow
teammates. There, Holowaty had the chance to train with a third division
professional team based in Dubrovnik.
His other passion is his family and his heritage. Both pairs of Holowaty’s
grandparents emigrated from the Ukraine to Buffalo, N.Y., though he
and his parents eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, he
developed a deep connection to his history, taking Ukrainian culture
classes. “On Saturday mornings when everyone else was watching
cartoons, I was in class learning about the Ukraine.”
Along with the ups of his career, there are the expected downs. Injuries
have included a severe concussion, an ankle sprain, a hernia surgery
and he is ending the season with a broken finger. The most crushing
defeat of his college career was during his freshman year. A game against
local rivals University of Rochester saw the Tigers lose with just twelve
seconds left on the clock. “I felt like crying when I left the stadium,”
Holowaty recalled. The only thing Holowaty laments is the lack of
interest for soccer in America. “Overseas, everyone plays, even if they’re
not professional. There’s just passion for the sport; they all follow the
games and the players.”
With graduation only two quarters away, the future is prominent in
Holowaty’s mind. His best-case scenario is playing soccer professionally.
During the winter quarter he will be attending several professional tryouts,
including the Infosport Professional Soccer Combine and the United
Soccer League. “Even if I don’t make it, I’ll still have soccer in my life.”
