Brooke Smith
Staff Writer
Mike Gallagher will say goodbye to his home, family, friends, teammates and his student career to pursue his dream of hockey. This fall, Gallagher will be attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts to focus on his life long passion of hockey.
Hockey has always been one of the biggest parts of Gallagher’s life since he could remember, Gallagher said. He became interested in hockey when his dad brought him to the ice rink to learn how to skate when he was only two. Gallagher later started playing hockey when he was five years old in a recreational league.
“My biggest role model is my dad,” Gallagher said. “He was the one who introduced me to the sport and taught me not only how to play, but to love the game of hockey.”
Gallagher started playing hockey at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. When he was not on the ice he stayed active to increase his playing ability by training in the gym alone or with his team, running on the greenbelt, and practicing shooting in his backyard.
“I love everything about hockey whether it be the feeling you get when you score or make a play, the practices, training, games, traveling, hanging out with your team, or meeting new people,” Gallagher said.
The competitive nature of the sports available at the prep school was very appealing to Gallagher but the idea of having a huge family of people that you can hang out with, play sports with, and study with sealed the deal according to Gallagher.
“I was introduced to prep school when I was in seventh grade and I slowly gained interest when I realized the experience and advantages that came along with it,” Gallagher said. (34)
Phillips Academy is very different from Costa in and out of the classroom. The classes are smaller, ranging from eight to twelve students and therefore more engaging in Gallagher’s opinion. Not only does Gallagher get to hang out with his friends in his classes but he also gets to live with them and be around them at all times.
“I will always miss Costa and the group of friends that I have been with since the start of school, but Phillips Academy and everyone here has been so welcoming,” Gallagher said. “It is very easy to become friends with everyone you encounter.”
Gallagher says he will miss his house, friends and family, but his family will use this opportunity to spend more time with the rest of their family on the east coast. His family will be visiting him and his sister Anna Gallagher who also attends prep school during the hockey season in Vermont.
“Both my parents are from the East Coast so this gives them an excuse to come back but it’s also easier having both of us on the East Coast during the year for traveling purposes,” Anna Gallagher said. “Even though I know they miss us a lot they are the best for being supportive of our dreams.”
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