Samuel Massick
Top male Scholar-Athlete
Samuel Massick
Columbus Academy
Grade-point avg.: 4.15
$8,500
Encova Insurance
Sports played: Football (4 years), track (3), soccer (1)
Academic highlights: National Merit Finalist; scored 1550 on SAT; state champion in chess
Athletic highlights: Three-time first-team all-state and all-district in football; first-team all-state in soccer and track
College choice: Princeton (anticipated major: classics, economics, microbiology)
Photo location: On top of the goalposts at Columbus Academy, where I was a kicker on the football team
Home front: My parents are Doug and Susan Massick, and I have a 16-year-old sister, Lainie.
Favorite subject: History. I have always enjoyed learning about historical events and themes, as history truly does repeat itself.
Least-favorite subject: I found advanced calculus very difficult, but I had a great teacher and I am glad I took this challenging class.
Prized possessions: A football signed by all three of Ohio State’s living Heisman winners and the hammer my great-grandfather used in the steel mills around Gary, Indiana.
Favorite book: “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” by Laura Hillenbrand. It shows the power of determination and perseverance to succeed at all costs.
Favorite movie: “Field of Dreams.” I have always appreciated its theme of believing in yourself despite naysayers.
Favorite television show: “Justified.” I very much appreciate the expression, “We dug coal together” in light of the camaraderie gained through athletics.
Essential app: Instagram, because I enjoy seeing the cool things my friends are doing.
Favorite home-cooked meal: Spaghetti and meatballs, which my mom makes for me before every game I play.
My cooking specialty: Fried egg sandwiches.
Favorite restaurant meal: The Outlaw Ribeye at Longhorn Steakhouse.
Guilty pleasure: Pocky chocolate sticks.
Proudest sports moments: Making a 50-yard field goal against Wheelersburg in the football playoffs, beating Bexley in the soccer regional semifinals and placing third in the state 4x100 relay in track.
Sport I’d like to try someday: Ice hockey.
Story behind my uniform numbers: The No. 35 in football was the number my dad wore at Princeton. I wore No. 10 in soccer, as I idolized Lionel Messi as a youth.
Favorite athlete: I have always appreciated Messi’s determination, unselfishness and work ethic.
Inspiration: My mom. While she is incredibly intelligent, she is also very down-to-earth and supportive.
Dream job: Playing forward for FC Barcelona
Place I’d like to travel: Hawai’i.
Something most people don’t know about me: I am a national master in chess.
Least-favorite household chore: Taking out the trash every Tuesday.
Something I can’t get right no matter how hard I try: Parallel parking.
Words to leave by: “You’re smart enough, but are you strong enough?” — Mr. John Street, my math teacher at Columbus Academy.
By Ray Stein
rstein@dispatch.com