After a year of cancellations, uncertainties, and modified schedules, the Hill community is gearing up for the 2021-22 athletic season. The Rams are excited to introduce 10 new coaches to their staff, each one bringing enthusiasm, expertise, and excitement to the sports they love. New head coach of boys soccer Wyatt Fabian said, “It will be great to get back to competing as a team.”

Fabian added, “Much of the focus for this year will be getting back to doing what we love and enjoying this opportunity.” He later stated, “Our focus will be to continue to be the best that we can be, as it always has been.”

All of these coaches have prior experience of not only playing but coaching the sport as well. New head coach of football, Orlando Patterson, said his greatest moment as a coach was being one of the youngest coaches in Virginia history to win the VISAA state championship. 

Patterson hopes to instill a mindset of hard work into his players. He stated in an email, “We are going to work harder than everyone else. We are going to have fun while working hard.” Similar to Patterson, the new head coach of softball, Jon Mckee, noted, “Our mindset will be to get better each day, working hard together we will strive to take steps forward each day.”

Having been players themselves, these coaches understand the physical and emotional challenges of their respected sport.  Newly appointed coach of girls squash, Jennifer Pelletier, feels her greatest strength is “having been a high-level junior athlete, I have experienced many of the highs and lows of competition firsthand, which helps me understand and empathize with what my players are dealing with both on and off the court.”

Being a coach isn’t all about winning; it’s about unlocking the true potential of each athlete. The new coach of boys squash, Josh Cardwell, feels his greatest strength is being able to “effectively communicate lessons in relatable ways to the individual athlete. As a coach, I must be malleable in my delivery in order to get through to the individual, so that I can help them reach their desired outcome more effectively.”

To be a great coach requires more than being a leader on the field. Head coach of girls soccer Elena Dauphinais feels “it was those off-field connections and additional opportunities to mentor that led me to Hill and allows me to have more of these great coaching moments today.”

The best coaches pass down lifelong lessons and advice to their athletes. Recently announced head coach of boys lacrosse, Dave Page, hopes “that these guys head off into their lives with a clear example of ‘if I work hard and throw myself into the process of being great at something, the short term sacrifice is worth it,’ and that bleeds into all areas of their lives.”

Hill also welcomes Sean O’Brien, the new head coach of the boys ice hockey team, Katie Scanlan, joining Hill as a fencing coach, and Deanna Mayza who was recently appointed to head coach of the girls basketball team.