New MA Athletic Director Takes The Helm

Tryouts for fall sports at Mattanawcook Academy might not start for a couple more weeks, but the new Athletic Director and Associate Principal Rick Meyers is already hard at work preparing for the start of school.

“There are not enough hours in the day” says Meyers, who started work for the district at the beginning of July. Since then he has been busy meeting the staff, coordinating coaches and schedules, and getting familiar with the area. But he hasn’t been doing it alone.

“The people have been helpful, the coaches have been supportive, and Principal Pietras has been a godsend. He really knows how to make a new guy feel comfortable. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Originally from the Gray-New Gloucester area, Meyers is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a masters in Education Leadership. After graduating he worked for Noble High School in North Berwick, and has taught in Lewiston for the past 12 years.

Athletics have always been a part of his life, both as a player and a coach. Meyers played soccer at USM, and has coached a variety of sports during his career, including soccer, basketball, and track and field. His most recent coaching job was at the collegiate level, serving as head coach of the women’s soccer program at Central Maine Community College in Augusta.

So why does a college coach and teacher at a large school system come to a smaller district like RSU 67? According to Meyers, the smaller size was a large factor in his decision.

“Lewiston High School had over 1300 students, with another 900 in 7th and 8th grades. I really like the idea of working with a smaller staff.”

The community’s first opportunity to meet the new athletic director comes this Sunday, August 5th. Meyers will be holding a meeting for parents of students participating in fall sports at MA at 7pm in the school cafeteria. Among other things, Meyers will explain the new Impact Testing protocol the school is implementing this year.

The school will administer a simple, non-invasive test that is similar to a video game. The computer program has the user click on various elements as they flash across the screen and measures their response time. The test only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and doesn’t need to be repeated for a student’s entire high school career. But the results of the test can be very valuable to physicians in evaluating an athlete that suffers head trauma while competing.

“Possible concussions are a big deal” says Meyers. “Gone are the days when we ask a player how many fingers we are holding up, and then send them back into the game.”

In the case of a head injury the school will send the student test results to their doctor so that they can get an accurate measure of the effects of the trauma. Meyers said he saw the program work in Lewiston, and is glad that it is being implemented in Lincoln.

Meyers will be presenting more information on the program at the meeting on Sunday. Any parents of athletes who cannot attend are asked to contact him at the school.