Lakeland High School’s one and only Maverick Gerrior is mainly known around the school’s narrow hallways for his wits and smarts, but he is so much more than that.
His peers mostly know Gerrior as a math whiz, an ex-student council member and a football player.
Gerrior participates in tennis and track at the school and does competition shooting as a hobby.
“I’m playing both varsity track and tennis right now,” he said. “It’s exhausting, but putting the work in is worth it.”
Doing two varsity sports in high school is a lot for anyone, but doing them at once is a new challenge.
Gerrior feels as though he needs to work extra hard for his sports because he is doing them both at once.
Aside from school sports, Gerrior does competition shooting. With a quick draw, he can take down multiple targets in seconds, which is one of his most proud skills. It is not a hobby commonly enjoyed by most, but Gerrior takes pride in his abilities.
Gerrior also snowboards in his free time during the winter with his friends.
“I like snowboarding a lot; it’s exciting, and I get a sense of freedom,” he said.
It’s one of the many things that pull him from the stresses of day-to-day life, along with going to the gym.
“I go to the gym often, making me work harder and feel better about myself,” Gerrior said.
Gerrior enjoys going to the gym with two of his closest friends, Sam Locke and William Neils, with whom he also goes snowboarding.
Neils enjoys spending time with Gerrior. Neils believes Gerrior makes the day more exciting when he is around.
“We go skiing a lot and have lots of fun, Mav really makes the day on the slopes more interesting,” Neils said.
Aside from skiing, Neils and Gerrior like to do many sports and activities together, such as tennis and going to the gym.
“We both push each other to get better,” Neils said. “As my tennis partner, he shows lots of skill at the sport and it helps me improve.”
Sam Locke is another one of Gerrior’s good friends. They became close freshman year and have been buddies ever since.
“I met him in Stuco in freshman year, and I thought he was cool,” Locke said. “We got to know each other and had some Stuco bonding moments.”
Locke explained that Gerrior is the type of friend who will always make sure something fun happens when you spend time with them.
“He’s a great guy when you get to know him,” Locke said. “He has a distinct sense of humor, and he’s very smart.”
Gerrior grew up a military brat, moving all around the country from South Carolina to an island off Central America to Hawaii, where he lived most of his childhood.
He tells everyone who asks about his hand a story about how he got bit by a shark when he was four while living in Hawaii.
In reality, he was born that way, but the story convinces people and makes them laugh.
