There are few people in this world who inspire us, push us, and help us understand who we truly are. They teach us life lessons no one else could. This life educator in my case is Mr. Herriot.

When I took up track my freshman year, I had no idea what the coaches were going to be like. But when Mr. Herriot took the floor to give us his first speech of the season, I was immediately drawn in. He spoke of the great athletes that came before me and the tradition of excellence Arrowhead track and field brought to the state of Wisconsin, and the United States. He promised if we gave our time and energy to his program, we could be state champions and even All-Americans. I believed him.

Mr. Herriot taught me the true meaning of dedication through sacrifice. He believed in me, and helped me believe in myself. I even looked forward to doing off-season workouts on my own accord. He taught me the definition of hard-work. When I am struggling and I want to give up, I now know I can push myself a little bit harder.

My entire life up until track, I have missed out on opportunities because I didn’t believe I could succeed. Because of track I am more confident, and my confidence has had an exponential affect on my success in track, school, and life. He has taught me life-lessons most educators never even bring up with their students or athletes.

Mr. Herriot is an involved member of the community. He has the track team participate in charity events (such as the Multiple Sclerosis Walk in Milwaukee). He was also an avid promoter for the Guitars for Vets fundraiser (a concert). Further he always collects the most food when classes compete in school-wide food drives because Mr. Herriot cares.

As a junior, I am running on Varsity, I have become an All-State runner, I am currently ranked within the top five in state for every event I’ve run, and I have been to Nike Outdoor Nationals. All my current and future success can be attributed to my track coach and mentor, Mr. Herriot. He has helped me understand and apply lessons of dedication, sacrifice, and self-confidence to my everyday life. No other educator has helped me mature as much as him.