In his 250-word essay, Gainer

does not talk about the game itself but rather how being involved with

soccer has taught him the importance of teamwork and how being a team

player has made a positive impact on his life.

"Being on a team has been

great. You can form some great friendships. You don't have to do everything

Gainer's essay caught the eyes

of the judges and he was awarded second place. He says he was amazed when

the magazine called him at home to tell him the good news.

"We were in a hurry because

we were meeting some of my teammates to carpool to a game in Savannah,"

he said. "The phone rang and I answered it. It was Soccer Jr. magazine.

They told me I won and I couldn't believe it."

will receive MLS (Major League Soccer) and WUSA (women's soccer) soccer

balls as well as have his name listed in the March or April issue of the

magazine.

Gainer says he entered the

contest with the encouragement of his father. Each year, he and his dad

write their own New Year's resolutions. One of his was to enter at least

two contests with one being away from school.

"It's important to have

a chance to win something. I like prizes," he said.

To date Gainer estimates that

he has played more than 15 seasons of soccer. Up until two years ago,

he was a recreational player before joining the Lightning organization.

"I just love it. They've

made me quite the player," he said.

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