Westbury High School senior Travis Troiano recently represented the United States as a Sports Ambassador at the Youth Friendship Games in Holland. He was selected for this honor by People-to-People International, which was started by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. People-to-People's mission is to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities.

President Eisenhower believed peaceful relations between nations required understanding and mutual respect between individuals. The Sports Ambassadors program uses the camaraderie developed through athletic competitions to foster peaceful international relations. In summing-up his experience in Holland Troiano said, "I learned that the common bonds that unite us can overcome any differences that separate us."

Troiano was one of 450 student-athletes from around the world selected to play basketball in the Holland Games and the only representative from Long Island. Other athletes participated in baseball, bowling, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball and wrestling. Basketball activities included a 10-day tournament featuring more than 40 teams engaged in friendly competition.

Travis' team, which had not played together until arriving in Holland, made it to the championship game but unfortunately, despite their best efforts, lost in the final game by one point.

Although disappointed by the loss, Troiano said he was proud to be one of 11 participants selected to the All-Star team. After he returned home from the closing ceremony, he said, "I developed life-long friendships. The experience was, as they say in the MasterCard commercials, 'Priceless!'"