Coach Asher. If you asked my teammates to describe him they’d say scary, tough, and disciplined. If you asked me, I would say caring--sometimes frightening--and hilarious. I’m not going to lie, he has a tough shield. But that is why he is my favorite educator.

He is my Coach on the Arrowhead Girls Soccer Varsity team. I have had the privilege of having him as my coach for four years. But to me, he’s not just a coach, he’s a mentor.

Being on varsity as a freshman was a challenge. Playing with 18 year olds when I was only 15 seemed almost impossible. But I trusted him. He saw potential in me, and put me up for the test. Yes, he was tough and frightening at times--no offense, Coach--but as the season went on, I could tell he cared about me. He wanted me to not only excel as a soccer player, but as a person as well.

I have a personal relationship with him--not many players can say that about their coach. Last season, I was going through a stressful time with school, soccer, and family. I wasn’t playing well those weeks because of my issues. And he could tell. During one game, he came to me and asked what was going on. I instantly started bawling, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I was secure with him knowing my issues, and he responded with, “If you don’t love what you do, then don’t do it. If you want a break from soccer, I will support you. But I don’t want to lose you as a player. You are a big contributor to our team, and I will work with you.” After that, I knew he cared not only about me as a player, but as a person too. From then on, I became a better player. I built a relationship with him. I respected him, looked up to him, and I was thankful to have him as my coach.

He cares not only about the team, but also about the community. Every year, the Arrowhead Girls Soccer program runs a fundraiser for Muscular Sclerosis. We sell t-shirts, with different designs, and the proceeds go to finding a Muscular Sclerosis cure. In the past six years, the Arrowhead Girls Varsity Soccer program has raised $24,000 for Muscular Sclerosis. I am incredibly proud of being apart of this program.

Also, a former student and soccer player at Arrowhead High School passed away at a young age. My coach had the privilege of knowing and coaching him. The boy who had passed was Patrick. Patrick would say, “You don’t work hard for praise or adoration; you work hard because that’s who you are.” After his passing, my coach inserted a rock in the stadium by our bench that engraved the quote. Before every game, every player on the team touches the rock admiring Patrick for his contribute to this program and world. Even though I’ve never met Patrick, I feel he is watching over our team every game.

People look up to our team because we are mature, respectful, and disciplined. After a game we lost, the referee sent a detailed letter to my coach explaining how sportsmanlike and respectful we were. The ref said he hasn’t seen a team like Arrowhead’s in years of his reffing career. My coach was beyond thrilled with this letter. He told us how proud he was of our sportsmanship and mature qualities. My coach was proud of us, but overall, I was proud of him. Our team is the way we are because we learned from him. We learned how to be disciplined, respectful, and sportsmanlike. And I honor that to my coach. He deserves to get more acknowledgement, and that is why I nominate him as my favorite educator.