Ten-year-old Marc Barbir has been playing soccer since he was four.
"I'm really fast so everybody, when they're chasing me, I'm running up and everybody is way behind me and its really easy for me to juke some people out," he said.
Marc and his family aren't planning for a scholarship-caliber career, extra coaching, or year-round soccer teams. But ten-year-old Jamil Qasem is developing an elite level game. He plays on multiple teams, and devotes six days a week to soccer.
"I want to get one percent better every time I play," Qasem said.
Both boys agreed to find out what their DNA says about their athletic ability though a simple swab of the mouth sent to a company called Genomic Express.
It's meant to show whether your kid is physically designed for endurance sports like swimming, biking, and long distance running, or built for power sports like football, gymnastics, baseball, or sprinting. Sports like tennis, soccer, and basketball require a mix of both.
Two weeks after the swab, both families log online to get their results.
The Barbirs find out Marc's genetically built for power and those quick bursts of speed. Remember, he bragged about being really fast.
"So would I do anything differently? No, but I think it will help him someday to know how to better prepare himself," said Marc's mother, DeVaun Barbir.
Jamil' s results show an even balance in strength and endurance, just right for his soccer dreams. But in the end, even Jamil's dad knows good genes can get you so far.
The company stresses results aren't meant to keep kids away from certain sports but to help them train better by taking advantage of their DNA.
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