Drury Grad Heading To World Cup In South Africa
 Dreams do come true: North Adams native Kevin Shaker will attend the 2010 FIFA World Cup through Western New England College's Seminar Abroad program. |
The 20-year-old Drury High School graduate will be attending the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Shaker said last week.
Shaker recently completed his junior year at Western New England College and he's one of 11 WNEC students and two professors taking part in the college's Seminar Abroad program. On Tuesday, June 8, they'll depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport, out of Queens, N.Y., embarking on a 13 1/2 hour flight to the Middle-Eastern nation of Dubai. From there, the group will take an eight-hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
They'll stay in South Africa for eight days and will attend four Cup matches, including the United States-England game on June 12 at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The group will also be in the stands for: South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11 in Johannesburg); Brazil vs. North Korea (June 15 in Johannesburg); and South Africa vs. Uruguay (June 16 in Pretoria).
Shaker, a lifetime soccer fanatic, said he's catching some grief from his jealous friends about his upcoming adventure.
 Shaker will root on Team USA against England on June 12 at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, pictured above, in Rustenburg, South Africa. |
Curt Hamakawa, a sports management professor at WNEC, is one of the chaperones on the trip. Although this will be his first World Cup, he knows his way around big sporting events. From 1990 to 2006, he worked on the U.S. Olympic Committee. He started as a lawyer on the USOC, investigating the anti-doping procedures, then was the director of athletes services and later director of international relations.
As part of WNEC's Seminar Abroad program, he traveled with 13 students to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"Tapping into my contacts, I can provide behind-the-scenes access that the typical tourist doesn't get," said Hamakawa, who has traveled to 35 different countries.
Each student will have a different role "in the delegation," according to Hamakawa. For example, one person will be in charge of coordinating room accommodations, while another will be responsible for making signs to be displayed at the stadium. Shaker, a communications major, will record and edit a video that will document the World Cup's impact on South Africa.
"Kevin, to me, seems very eager to immerse himself into this experience," Hamakawa said. "He's going to be the one capturing the trip."
The group will also do some sight-seeing, with plans to board a safari and also to visit Nelson Mandela's first home in Orlando West, Soweto.
For Shaker, the trip is a thrill on many different levels. Besides the opportunity to soak in a foreign culture — the farthest he's traveled has been to the Virgin Islands — he'll be a witness to one of the biggest spectacles in sports. Shaker said he has played soccer since he could first walk, and he's followed the World Cup, which is held every four years, since he was a kid.
"I remember waking up early and watching it with my brother," he said. "We used to open up the doors and set up goals, and we'd just play the game ourselves while we were watching it.
"It really hasn't kicked in yet that I'm going. I think it'll hit me when I'm at the airport, and I realize that I'm going to the World Cup."
