Passing up baseball for chess

Shaker Heights' Trey Modlin gets chess scholarship from Texas Tech
Published: Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 3:54 PM
By Brian Lavrich,
Sun News Sun Press

The average sports fan in Shaker Heights probably recognizes Trey Modlin for his exploits on the baseball field, which comes as no surprise.

Modlin, an outfielder, hit .386 with 20 RBIs as he helped the Raiders reach a Division I regional semifinal.

However, those who really know Modlin, know his true love is chess. He’s earned a scholarship to play chess at Texas Tech University.

“My dad taught be at the age of 4,” Modlin said. “From there, I kept playing. It’s a great hobby. It really challenges the mind.”

Modlin helped the Shaker Heights chess team advance even farther than the baseball team as they tied for first in the state tournament.

Modlin first got interested in Texas Tech when his friend, Rebecca Lelko, introduced him to the program. Lelko, a Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin graduate, is at Texas Tech on a full ride chess scholarship.

“She told me about the tournaments they play in and the team,” Modlin said.

Modlin considered playing baseball at Oberlin College, but couldn’t pass up his first love of chess.

“I really liked the campus,” Modlin said. “I really liked the buildings and overall feel of the campus. The students seem real nice.”

Modlin said he’s thinking about majoring in either math or political science.

“It will be a whole new experience with west Texas,” Modlin said. “It’s definitely in the desert region. It will be interesting. I can’t wait until August.”

But Modlin will definitely miss Shaker Heights.

“I’ll miss the community here,” Modlin said. “We have a great neighborhood with great people and families.”

Source: http://blog.cleveland.com