Mr. Mayer was my coach for the Arrowhead lacrosse team from my freshman year through junior year, but he was much more than just a coach. He treated our team like family by making each and every one of us feel important, on and off the field.
I entered lacrosse freshman year thinking it would be really fun. At first, I was wrong. I didn’t make the junior varsity team with my close friends and I was definitely not as good as I thought I would be. But Mr. Mayer encouraged me to keep trying and he told me I would improve. He also let me borrow his lacrosse stick for each game since I didn’t have one. I even considered it my lucky stick since we won almost every game when I used it.
Onto sophomore year, I made it to the next level—Varsity white. This team was under Varsity red, but we played all the same varsity teams. Along with me moving up another level, Coach Mayer also moved up. He was my coach again! A lot of freshmen made this team and he encouraged us to meet new people. Now, some of these girls are my best friends.
Bringing snacks to every practice, creating mini skill competitions between each other, and always being willing to give one on one help, Mr. Mayer was a dedicated coach. After each game, he would nominate “player of the week” and give out a ten dollar Starbucks gift card!
Junior year, I didn’t make varsity red. I was bummed at first because most of my friends had made it. I didn’t think I was good or improving. But Mr. Mayer changed how I felt. He trained our team very well. I knew I had to keep trying, and because of his coaching, I received an award for best offensive player on the team!
Playfully throwing cups of water at our teammates in the hot weather and letting us blast the music from his car, our last practice is always one to remember. When the end of the season came around, he would have our whole team come over, eat food, and swim in his lake. As much fun as we had, he made sure we maintained focus on the game of lacrosse.

This year, as a senior, I made varsity red. It will be very different not having him as my coach, but I would not have been able to make it this far without him. He is the best coach I have ever had, not only because of his coaching, but also because of his encouragement, patience, and his love for the sport.
Mr. Mayer is the type of coach who would give anything to see our team with smiles on our faces and a love for the sport. I have never met anyone so giving and kind. Mr. Mayer inspired me to become a better person as a whole, in and out of practice, by encouraging our team to keep trying, even when we failed.