What does the number 18 mean to you? Other than the slight chance that it is your favourite number or that the star athlete you idolize wears it, the number really has no significant value to anyone, in any setting. However, for the past three seasons, TWU fans who have attended Spartan soccer games may have noticed this number on the back of one player’s jersey. This player joined the Spartans in 2007 and began what would be an incredible journey to becoming one of Trinity Western University’s best athletes ever.
Paul Hamilton, who grew up in Calgary, is this year’s sportsman of the year. Hamilton, who also took home the honour of winning the CIS Player of the Year in men’s soccer, has been phenomenal in every way for the Spartans during the past three years. His growth is one that can be measured on the defensive end with an under appreciation for his offensive skill set. Since 2007, Hamilton’s minutes have actually decreased off his rookie campaign, a true testament to this overall efficiency on the pitch while increasing his production. Overall, Hamilton has played more than 4500 minutes in the Spartan white and blue, scoring 2 goals while adding 6 assists over that time. However, it is Hamilton’s defensive specialties that have allowed him to be known as one of the CIS’s most feared defenders. The amount of times Hamilton has saved a goal, cleared the ball from trouble, and made heroic defensive stands has made Hamilton the backbone
of the team.
And while all this has been given to a man that should make any person extra confident, Hamilton manages to accomplish this feat by staying close to his roots. Hamilton notes, “Winning CIS Player of the Year was fantastic. It is always nice to be recognized by the people who you play against, the coaches, and all of the people who watch the games, with an award of this magnitude.”
Hamilton grew up playing soccer in a level of competition well beyond his years, a likely factor in why his talent succeeds many others he plays against. “My father was a soccer player, so naturally growing up watching him play made me want to play. I grew up in Calgary so growing up I played youth soccer and when I became a little older I started to play in the men’s league” adds Hamilton, who decided on TWU because of the reputation that the Spartans possessed within the soccer community on and off the pitch.
In any event, Hamilton does not seem satisfied with his current achievements. “I have been in contact with [the Vancouver Whitecaps] about playing again this summer, but I am also exploring other opportunities to further my career as a player. My dream from a young boy has always been to be a professional soccer player, and I am still working toward that goal. As of yet I have not been able to reach that but I have no intentions of giving up yet”.
The only question remaining now is not if, but when.
