Athlete Spotlight

This archived article was written by: Shelly Gledhill

From techno clubs in Brazil to slalom skiing and motor cross, you’ll find Patrick Skoltz enjoying any radical sport he comes upon.
Skoltz came thousands of miles from his home in Brazil, to be one of this year’s midfielders on the College of Eastern Utah’s soccer team.
Skoltz was born and raised in Brazil, but believe it or not, did not start playing soccer until high school. In fact, he used to be one of the best tennis players in his state when he was younger. But when he moved to a different city, tennis became too expensive and he was forced to give it up. So he picked up soccer for some fun.
He has come a long way from just playing for fun. According to his coach, Ron Dadgari, “he’s the one who truly comes out and likes to win. His heart and soul is in soccer, he is the heart and soul of this team.”
“Skoltz is always thinking about soccer,” says Dadgari. “You can tell he really wants to get the program going. You can find Skoltz at Wal-Mart selling hundreds of raffle tickets to help the team with their fund-raiser, he is awesome.”
You may be wondering how he ended up in Price all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was actually attending UVSC for a summer before coming to Price; he has an aunt and uncle who live in Provo. When UVSC was too expensive, his father mentioned CEU. His father had attended CEU as an exchange student about 25 years ago. Now his son is attending here.
Skoltz attended a private German high school in Brazil. While he was there, he had four different language classes, German, Spanish, English and his native language, Portuguese.
He gives credit to playing tennis as a child for giving him the determination he has today. When he trained for tennis, not only would he train physically, but he would prepare psychologically as well. He learned discipline and determination, now when he wants something, he goes out and gets it!
Some of the things that he wants to accomplish this year are to study, get straight As this semester and graduate with high honors. He would also love to get to know more people and make new friends.
According to Skoltz, he is here to study, so getting good grades is the least he can do. He wants to make his parents happy. In Brazil, it is customary for the parents to pay everything for their child throughout their education. He is very grateful for parents and for everything that they do for him.
His mom, Sibele, is an artist. “She likes to paint, and she is awesome.” His father, Thomas, has a screw factory. “He is a good person. He is outgoing, organized, motivated and calm. And that is what I want to try and be.” Skoltz really looks up to his father because of that.
As much as he misses the big cities in Brazil, he enjoys Price. He likes the environment here and his friends, plus the people are nice. “Price is calm, more laid back compared to a city.” He likes to be outdoors, have fires, go hiking, play sports or just hang out with friends.
Skoltz is finishing his general education requirements this year and hopes to transfer to a university next year. He wants to major in business with an emphasis in international business. He also wants to get his master’s degree in international business.
He is applying for BYU, but he would love to attend school in a different state, to experience another part of the United States. He loves the U.S. and the job opportunities are probably better here or in Europe for his career, but eventually, he would love to return to Brazil.
Look for Skoltz when you go support the soccer team, he will be the one with shaggier hair. Apparently, he isn’t going to cut his hair until the season is over!