Sixteen-year-old Rockwell Myers on Tuesday evening was named the winner among the male athletes who participated in the Patriot Games, an athletic competition where one high school boy and one girl from all 50 states showcased their abilities. Each winner received $125,000 in scholarship money.
Myers received a check and trophy from President Donald Trump at the Ohio-based event on Tuesday evening in front of a crowd of onlookers. He was praised by Trump along with the other two male finalists and top three female finalists.
“Incredible people — and I like the audience also, I have to tell you,” Trump said to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge.
Myers, in an interview with the Deseret News on Monday ahead of the final competition, said he first heard online about the Patriot Games, which were put on by Freedom 250, an organization commissioned by Trump.
He decided to apply, sending in an application video and filling out forms in early July. He then provided more details about his athletic history before receiving an invite to the multi-day competition that took place in Ohio.
After days of competing in various athletic competitions like track and field events, dodgeball, tug of war and more, Myers, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was one of four male athletes who advanced to the final competition on Tuesday evening.
“I thought it was going to be stressful when they invited me, and I thought I was going to be nervous and whatnot,” he said. “But they have done an amazing job here in Ohio to make all the athletes feel confident in themselves, to feel ready for what’s in front of them and to prepare them for what’s next.”
While it ultimately is a competition among athletes, Myers said there’s been some camaraderie among the teens and they have connected at a deeper level than what “people would see on TV.”
“We all want what’s best for each other, even though we’re competing against each other,” he said.
He said he’s “100%” walking away from the Patriot Games with new friends.
Myers is a climber and ballroom dancer
Myers’ athletic history is varied. He’s a climber, he completed the Utah Spartan Beast race, a grueling mountain obstacle course ranked one of the hardest in the Spartan Race series, he plays on a high school tennis team, and he’s got a unique talent and love for ballroom dancing.
“It’s one of my favorite things ever,” he said.
After he graduates high school, Myers hopes to go to school for competitive ballroom dancing and one day end up teaching the craft to others. He said he hoped the $125,000 scholarship money from winning the Patriot Games could help him do that.
Asked how ballroom dancing impacts his ability to compete in other athletic challenges, Myers said it helps more than he thought it would.
“You’ve got to be light on your feet on the dance floor. You’ve got to be fluent and graceful, and with some of these competitions, you’ve had to have very quick changes in direction and be ready for anything,” Myers said. “So that has definitely helped me.”
Myers, who grew up in the St. George area and attends the local campus of the Utah Military Academy, said he was grateful for the opportunity to represent his home state at the national level in the Patriot Games.
“I’m just very grateful for the opportunity to represent Utah, my generation, and to give back to the people who have raised me and the state that’s done such a great job at making me feel safe and welcomed,” he said. “The opportunity to represent something bigger than myself is life-changing really.”
The other Utah student representing the state was Eve Sandoval. Her father, Chad, posted about his daughter being chosen, wishing her congratulations and telling her to “go represent!”
The finals streamed live on Tuesday on the ESPN app and a one-hour primetime special will air on ABC on Thursday evening.
Hunger Games comparison
The Patriot Games was billed as a youth sporting competition to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday. Freedom 250 said it was created to “celebrate America’s next generation of leaders, competitors and champions.”
“The 2026 Patriot Games is about more than competition, they’re about the grit, character, and optimism that have carried America for over 250 years,” Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said.
Alvarez added that the young athletes represent the “very best of who we are and the promise of what’s still to come.”
Trump announced in a video message last December that his White House-backed non-profit group Freedom 250 would be putting on the Patriot Games.
The athletic event was slated to feature some of the “greatest high school athletes” but quickly sparked comparisons to the popular novel-film series “The Hunger Games,” with the one boy and one girl chosen from each state to participate.
Unlike the fictional book and movie series, where kids are faced with a battle of survival, the Patriot Games isn’t life or death, but rather a battle for college scholarship money.
Myers admitted that while some “liken” the Patriot Games to the “Hunger Games,” he said it was more a “fun little online thing that went around.”
“I think it’s all fun and games,” he said. “It really isn’t anything like it. It’s much more wholesome and much more rewarding than anything like that.”