Captain Will Rickards plays goalie for the Andover Boys Lacrosse team.
Andover Boys Lacrosse Co-Captain Will Rickards ’21 prides himself on guiding his teammates through his actions rather than through meaningless expressions. According to Co-Captain Jayme Wilde ’21, Rickards’ commitment to leading by example is what gains his teammates’ respect.
“Will Rickards… is a silent killer. He’s not the most outspoken guy on the team, but he is insane at goalie and knows what to say and when to say it. But he never says too many words and is always in the right state of mind,” said Wilde.
Rickards savors the privilege of leading the team and believes his tendency to motivate and guide his teammates with his actions rather than his words is central to his leadership style.
“It means a lot to be a captain of the team; your team looks up to you, I feel a sense of responsibility there, and I’m responsible to lead by example. You can say as many good things as you want, but if you don’t do those things, it really doesn’t mean much. So I’d say my main responsibility is to do what I think is the right thing, and hopefully, they follow,” said Rickards.
Rickards’ mentality, commitment, and conservative use of voice help his words inspire his teammates, according to Co-Captain Troy Pollock ’21.
“He doesn’t say much, but when he does it’s super impactful. He’s kind of like our rock. At the net, he makes huge saves. I think because he talks so little, the few words he says I really value. When he tells me something, when he tells other kids, our teammates really respect what he says. He played here for three years and he played his [Junior] year as well. The three captains are some of my best friends, and I’ve had the pleasure of being able to lead the team with them,” said Pollock.
According to Rickards, the hard work which he displays within the team environment stems from his love for the sport and desire to get back what was taken away by Covid-19 last year.
Rickards said, “I really like the speed of [lacrosse], you go down and back so quickly, but there’s also like a settled, almost strategic sense to the offense and the defense.”
“I’ve always loved the sport—I’ve been playing since I was four years old. Whenever someone asks me to play lacrosse, I always want to play… I’ve been on this team the past three years, and especially after losing last season [due to Covid-19,] [I am motivated] to make the most of my last year,” Rickards added.
According to Rickards, he shares with his teammates a drive to compete, something which strengthens the team’s dedication to success and improvement.
“I’d just say [the strength of our team is our] hard work. Every kid that is on the team, they’re happy to be there in practice, and you don’t hear groans if we’re trying to do sprints or anything—everyone’s just happy to be out there, happy to get better,” said Rickards.
Rickards will continue his lacrosse career at Colby College next year.
