Patrick Roling '20 Recruiting Profile

I was born in Arkansas but moved to Texas in 6th grade to live with my grandparents.  This part of the country is known for football. I began playing football and baseball in grade school. I am very passionate about sports and have also played basketball and lacrosse.  I hope to pursue a college degree in sports training and kinesiology. My real passion is for football as I love the contact involved with the sport.

My brother and I moved to Texas to live with our paternal grandparents, as our parents were having many difficult issues, including alcohol and drugs.  I attended 6th through 9th grade at Harmony Jr/Sr High school, Big Sandy Texas. In December 2016 we moved to Stowe Vermont. My Uncle and Aunt had purchased a Bed and Breakfast there. They asked my grandparents to come along to help run the Inn.  Since moving to Stowe I have participated in Basketball and Lacrosse at Stowe High School, however they do not have a football team. Fortunately I made a friend at school that was playing football at Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax. Although it is an hour away it is still in our county and we are given permission to play there.I have been playing football there and  last year I was able to play varsity as a middle linebacker and guard. When I first came to Stowe it was basketball season and I was asked to play. I had never participated on a basketball team before. My friends on the team nicknamed me “tractor’. I am not sure why except maybe because I was bigger and more aggressive than most of my teammates. I have enjoyed playing football at BFA I learned however that football is not supported as enthusiastically here in Vermont as it was in Texas.  I played on a team in Texas that went unbeaten my freshman year. Since coming here I have had to learn how to deal with losing along with winning. Regardless football is still my favorite sport. I was awarded defensive MVP for the team and also all state for middle linebacker. I hope to repeat or do better this next season.

Moving to Vermont opened up an entirely new world to me.  I learned to snowboard as we are just a short distance from Mt. Mansfield.  Texas does not have snow so there are no winter sports. Living around my Uncle and Aunt has been a super experience.  I share a room with their son who is younger so now I am the big brother to him and his sister. My grandparents live in a one bedroom  apartment attached to the Inn.

I want to accomplish much more with my life than my parents have. I never thought about going to college until this last year. I now have  some new goals in my life. I have been encouraged by my family here, and also my friends and their parents. This has provided confidence for me to achieve my goals.  Living here has really given me an opportunity to grow as a person. I am not an outstanding student but have always made decent grades. I have taken and am currently enrolled in several honors classes and in the fall I will be taking some AP courses.