I don’t remember the events leading up to it, but there I was, sitting in Arrowhead High School’s North Campus Junior Study Hall room. I had my Gatorade bottle in my bag, running shorts hanging around my waist, and a neon colored running shirt. I’m a nervous incoming freshman on the cross country team. I questioned why I wasn’t going out for basketball since it was all I knew. The thought left when the Cross Country head coach walked up to the front of the room: Coach Mike Mulrooney. He had a grey Arrowhead visor hat, his body slightly bent forward, and his hair withered with time. My first thought when I saw him was, How old is he?

But his age did not matter. He had the passion and competitive edge that leaves us in awe; he has the heart and soul of a tiger.

The first race, he looked us dead in the eye and told us, “Today is the day to bring it.”

During the race, I saw him more than once. I was surprised he could get from point A to point B that fast. My thought was if my coach, who is many years my senior, can make it from there to here, it’s my job to contribute to the team win.

But the best part was he did something my old basketball coach failed to do. After the race, he took each freshman aside. He talked with us about our race and asked us what we thought about it and what we could improve on. My freshman year and sophomore year had the same cycle. He would pump us up before the race, cheer us on during it, and then talk with us after. It’s moments like those I take to heart. That one on one time made me feel like he wanted me to do well.

And lastly, there were the meetings he held after practice about goal setting. He taught us about studies that have been done and what kind of impact they had. Looking back, in middle school I struggled in classes with time management, homework, and how to study. Now, three years later, I implemented goal setting into my daily life and currently have a 3.9 GPA with a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

It was more than just the work he made us put in that makes him a great coach. One of his favorite ways to torture—I mean, have fun with us—is to do chocolate milk relays. You chug down a full cup of chocolate milk and then you have to sprint a lap around the track. Then you slap the hand of your teammate and the process is repeated. It’s just a fun team building exercise and everyone has a good time.

Another thing we did my freshman year during track was sharks and minnows across the snow-covered football field. Both of these team games helped me meet new people and make friends that I would’ve never expected myself to have.

During the end of track, though, I realized he was more than just my coach that bosses me around. He was someone I could lean on. My grandmother passed on just a few days before. It was the grade school invite and he pulled me aside and personally gave his condolences. I asked him for a few days away from the team and he said, “Yes, be with your family; they are more important right now.” This conversation showed me that as much as winning was important to him, the lives and well-being of his runners far surpassed any first place medal.

Coach Mulrooney, it’s been an honor and privilege of mine to run for you on the XC and Track team. I’ve got one more year of high school and this tank isn’t even close to empty. Thank you for the life lessons and the character building you do for the team.