Roko

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What do they love most about playing their sport(s)?

Roko loves that soccer can make him feel ten feet tall one minute and send him back to work the next. A great goal lights him up, but the missed chance is usually what he talks about on the drive home. He is always chasing the player he believes he can become. His dream is to play professionally and represent Canada or Croatia one day. Until then, he shares the whole climb, the wins, the mistakes, the laughs and the hard work, on @CousinRoko.

Who inspires them—on or off the field—and why?

Roko looks up to Brian Rogic, Connor Elliot and the Men’s Premier players at Jadran Ottawa Croatia, along with incredible coaches Roberto Di Nuzzo, Juan Monge and Martin McCoy at Ottawa South United. Some of the lessons that stay with him most have nothing to do with a scoreboard. They have shown him how to stay humble, lift his teammates and respond when things do not go his way. They are shaping not only the player he dreams of becoming, but the person he is growing into.

What’s one moment in their athletic journey that makes you proudest?

One of Roko’s most meaningful moments came while coaching his little sister and the U7 Purple Tulips at Ottawa South United. When one of the girls finally mastered something she had been struggling with, Roko lit up and celebrated like he had scored the winning goal himself. That moment captured something special about him. He loves competing and winning, but he gets just as much joy from helping someone else grow, believe in themselves and succeed.