Ian Heyns, 12, has been majorly involved in Lacrosse for the past three years. He also has participated in many extracurriculars throughout high school such as DECA, Talon, Interact, and Rho Kappa. These past three years impacted Heyns had this to say about his last years on the field, “It’s a little strange because I started playing lacrosse my 10th-grade year. So I’ve only been playing for three years, and I know a lot of my teammates are kind of burnt out from this sport, especially those who are going to college. I’m still having fun and it’s still fresh to me. So it’s kind of sad, especially since I’m not playing in college.”

Heyns competed in DECA and placed at state for sports entertainment role play with a friend, saying, “It taught me a lot about business, and presenting and giving ideas in a business setting not just a school setting.”

Talon’s leadership skills defined Heyns strengths, saying, “I learned how to dress professionally and I learned to know how to use the personality traits that are unique to me to succeed.”

Duncan Creek Outreach Committee taught elementary school student leadership skills, saying, “The experience taught me how to work with kids better, and it was a great experience. Communicating my ideas also became a lesson because I had to learn how to communicate with a younger audience so they could understand me, such as vocabulary and understanding level.”

When you are involved in a program at Mill Creek you are surrounded by a lot of comradery. Heyns briefs what a big takeaway he got from his community was, “The biggest takeaway that I’ve gotten from this is hard work and doing things even when you don’t want to do it the most.”

The impact of a strong community touches who you are as a person. Lacrosse has impacted their high school career, Heyns goes on to say, “Most of my friends and even my best friend I’ve met through lacrosse, so it’s helped me connect with people throughout the school year.”

Relationships you build throughout your high school career form who you will become. The relationships they have built through these years led Heyns to state, “As I said before, I met my best friend through Lacrosse and I got to go to Africa with them. It was great to bring them to my home country South Africa, and I got the chance throughout the years to build a relationship with all the coaches.” 

Heyns advice he would give to the incoming freshmen and varsity players, “The biggest piece of advice I can give to incoming freshmen that played lacrosse is to respect the older players and the coaches. They have a lot to teach you and you have a lot to learn from them.”