Most football players would jump at the opportunity to play for their country any time the opportunity arises, and such is true for Colton Beebe, a linebacker from Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan.

Beebe was a member of the U.S. Under-19 National Team in February at the 2015 International Bowl, where the United States beat Canada, 35-0. Playing in of game and atmosphere is a lifetime memory for any high school athlete.

“I got to meet many different players and coaches from across the country and got to interact with them,” said Beebe, who will play at the University of Minnesota this fall. “This was not my first team USA event, as I have been to a Regional Development Camp in Missouri, and I was also on the U-18 National Team. It was very special being able to represent our country, and it was an honor to be able to play the sport I love with ‘USA’ on my chest.”

Playing in the International Bowl shines a spotlight on U.S. athletes. Families, friends and hometown can watch his journey via an ESPN3 telecast. For Beebe, it noticed a difference in his community when he returned from the week in Arlington, Texas.

“Playing with the U.S. National Team has affected my life in the community in a positive way,” he said. “I have been asked for many autographs, which is a humbling experience. It also has allowed younger kids that I know to become familiar with the National Team program and allowed them to try and be a part of the team by trying out at the development camps.”

Beebe’s mother, Tamara, helps promote the Kansas City camp, which is May 30-31 at Piper High School. That is a special thing for him. It is important that football players have the opportunity to participate in national team events just like athletes in other sports.

Beebe could not think of a better way to say thank you to a school that has provided him with so much.

“It is special to have an event at the high school I attended,” he said. “Piper has given me a lot of great memories, and it is where I began my football career. It is very cool to see younger kids have the opportunity to do the same as I have done.

“I will hopefully be attending the Kansas City camp – be able to talk to the kids and tell them a little bit about what my experience was like. Some of my teammates have participated in the Regional Development Camps before, and many of them will be at the Kansas City one.”