Getting his kicks; Holy Cross graduate nails scholarship to school in Virginia

BILL POTRECZ
Sports - Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 01:00

The countless hours of work in the gym and on the field, the missed parties and social functions and the willingness to put football above almost all else, have finally paid off for Carlo Turavani.   The 19-year-old Holy Cross Secondary School graduate's relentless drive to be the best he could be has landed the placekicker a full athletic scholarship worth about $25,000 US a year, to Hampton University, a Division 1 school in Virginia.  "I gave up something, but I got something back," Turavani said. "It was really hard, but you notice yourself getting better and better and you feel great a lot of the time."  Turavani chose Hampton, a private school with an enrollment of about 6,100, over several other schools such as Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Marshall, the University of Buffalo and Benedict University in South Carolina. Benedict also offered a full ride, but Turavani said Hampton had too many pluses to turn down.  "Hampton has better academics," said Turavani, who plans to major in physical education and health and one day become a phys-ed teacher.  Turavani and his family also made a visit to the school and came away impressed with both the facilities and the coaching staff.  "We checked out all the schools personally," Turavani said. "I'm both excited and nervous about it. It should be a good experience.  "It's a private school and I won't be in the middle of nowhere. It's right on the ocean."  Hampton head coach Joseph Taylor has seen his new kicker on film and came away impressed after their face-to-face meeting.  "We feel fortunate he was able to come on and sign with us," Taylor said. "We want to bring in young men who are focused. He's a good young man with character and strong family support, and all of that is very, very important."  Turavani admitted the last year or so has been trying at times, wondering when, or even if, his dream of using football to gain an education would materialize.  "At the beginning, I didn't know if anything would come out of it," he said. "It was a lot of peaks and valleys and finally something came out of it.  "I'm just happy to finally get accepted and get what I wanted."  Turavani began his football career innocently enough, trying out for his high school team with some friends in Grade 10. He made the team as a defensive back, but when a kicker was needed, stepped forward to give it a shot, citing his soccer background.    Turavani quickly took to the position and hooked on with the Niagara Spears of the Ontario Varsity Football League, where he was a three-time OVL all-star, set numerous records and was also named special teams most valuable player.  Turavani was quick to give credit to the Spears.  "They played a big role," he said. "Coach (Dave) Howe really believes in the kicking game and gave me an opportunity to prove myself. I don't know if I would have had those opportunities or where I'd be now."  Turavani, who hit seven of nine field goals with a career-best 50-yarder for the Spears last season, also tipped his cap to his kicking coach, Ken Urquhart of Hamilton. The two have worked together three to four times a week for the past four years.  "I started from scratch with him. He taught me basically everything, my step, my mechanics, my form."  Turavani also said he benefits from yoga classes he takes with his father Carlo Sr.  "It helps a lot mentally and physically," he said. "There's a lot of mental training with athletes. (With yoga), there's a lot of positive visualizations and positive affirmations."  Turavani plans to leave for Hampton in early August. He also may take a quick trip there next month to familiarize and acclimatize himself with the surroundings.
Now that he's achieved his goal, Turavani doesn't intend to blow it. "I'm happy they gave me the opportunity," said Turavani, who has been told the starting kicking job is open for the taking.  "Now I have to perform."