Temecula Tennis Coach

As both Erik’s dad and his coach, it’s been rewarding to watch his development this year. He’s been putting in a lot of hard work on his serve, footwork, and point patterns, and matches like this show the progress he’s making.

These are highlights from a recent 18U semifinal where he faced an 8.34 UTR opponent. Erik is wearing light blue.
Proud of the effort and attitude.

🎾 Watch the highlights:

18U Semifinals | Service Point Highlights vs 8.34 UTR Match highlights from the 11/30/25 Match Point Tennis Academy 18U Semifinals. This video features key service-point highlights, including a mix of first serv...

Erik played a great tournament this weekend. I was very proud of his mental game and he played at his best level yet in a tournament defeating a very good 6.5 UTR to win and the finals. 

Happy Fourth of July to everyone. I’m very proud of my kiddos performance and dedication at the UCLA tennis camp all this week. UCLA has won 18 National Championships in men’s tennis. Erik won the overall tournament on the 2nd day and Elaya got second place in the young division and she also won first place in doubles. UCLA men’s tennis head coach for the last 42 years Billy Martin has the most coveted job in all of college tennis. It has been so much fun at this camp and the kids love it. It’s very nice staying here in Westwood, and a great way to spend the 4th of July having fun with the kiddos 

The kids have won various award UCLA items like wristbands, Tennis strings UCLA bags and Erik got a medal 🏅. Elaya was camper of the day on the very first day. After the tournament, the head coach Billy Martin asked Erik how he did and Erik told him he won and Coach Martin said “congratulations and I'm not surprised”

Elaya had her LSU ad on the first day and I was wearing my LSU hat. Coach asked me about the LSU because he said they have a great coach and a great program. For all my Baton Rouge friends if you get a chance, you should go watch the LSU tennis team play. It’s extremely high-level basically just like the pros and the matches are free to go to and a lot of fun 

For those parents that never met Coach Cirrus Sawyer or saw him coaching at practices let me give you a glimpse of him from my eyes, a football player's Dad. I hope this will help you understand why he deserves to be honored by us all. Although we never had the opportunity to become friends, drink a beer together, or just joke around. The loss of him has devastated me and broken my heart because I know how much he meant to my son and this team of young men. If I feel this hurt his wife and children are feeling it infinitely more.
I only briefly met Coach Sawyer face to face as a parent attending a football meeting about the program this past summer. I'm a dad and husband with a 14 year old freshman son at GOHS and 7 year old daughter. My son Erik started playing tackle football for the very first time this past summer for the GOHS freshman team. I was very fortunate to have the schedule to be able to watch many of the practices or at least catch the last hour or 30 minutes of the practices.
I absolutely love football as a sport. My son played a lot of Flag football over the years and I enjoyed coaching many of his teams. But the last few years he has focused on becoming a tennis player. I was surprised at the end of his 8th grade year when he told me him and his friend agreed to play on the football team together. I figured $400 for the intense football training will be good for his tennis athleticism and a bunch of mean football coaches will really toughen him up and make him more competitive. I was in the Army so I thought it will be like a mini basic training and he will probably want to quit after a few weeks of waking up at 6am every morning.
After waking up at 6am on his first Monday of Summer vacation and going to his very first tackle football practice Erik said "I really love football, I really like the coaches a lot, they push us hard but they really cares about us."
I found that odd because my tackle football coaches in 7th and 8th grade in 1982-83 were just mean bullies that insulted us constantly. Calling us names like mice and making fun of how wimpy we were.
Erik was exhausted after every practice and moaned and groaned how hard it was but he would tell me every day when he got in the car how much he really likes football and all the coaches. I thought, certainly this won’t last long.
Then one day I specifically recall after one practice Erik said to me, "Coach Sawyer really cares about me and the whole team. I can tell that he actually cares and is not just saying that, because he shows it.”
I asked Erik which coach is Coach Sawyer and he said “ The one you always hear yelling" then imitated Coach Sawyers big voice, "find a line and Chop it UP!!!! Chop it UP!!!!"
I instantly knew who he was talking about because I watched many practices at this point and I had never heard that phrase "Chop it Up" used before. But more than the words was the voice and passion behind the words that resonated with me. The boys really pushed themselves for him and it made me feel inspired just watching and listening. I thought to myself, “Now that’s an awesome coach! I wish my football coaches were like him. Erik is very lucky to have him.”
I went to almost every practice this past summer just to watch for fun. “Every day I would hear Coach Sawyer shouting "Find a line and Chop it Up!! Chop it UP!!" motivating the boys to push their footwork skills and cardio to the limit. His powerful, heartfelt, and motivating voice and those words really stuck with me and my son so I am sure it does with all the other players as well. I donated some money to the Sawyer GOFUNDME account but I felt that Coach Sawyer deserves more than money. Coach Sawyer and his family deserve the gratitude and recognition for his contribution in developing our young men into good citizens and hard working athletes.
That is why I went Online and designed and purchased 4 T-Shirts for me and my family to wear and honor Coach Sawyer at the GOHS football games. After I designed and purchased them I saw there was an option to create a fundraiser to sell t-shirts. So that is what I am doing for the Sawyer Family. It saddens me and brings tears to my eyes looking at his family photo and thinking about his boys without their amazing father. I really want to honor him and help his family.
Society largely judges coaches by their wins and loses. There are great coaches, good coaches, and not so good coaches. Cirrus Sawyer was a GREAT COACH. He had a winning record that cannot be beaten by any other coach. Not even Nick Saban. Because he won the most important victories of all. He won the hearts of our boys and that will make our boys better men for the rest of their lives in everything that they do in life, not just football.
If we can all buy these t-shirts for our family and wear them to every GOHS Sporting event it will send the message to his boys and wife that we truly support them and honor Coach Sawyer. His oldest son plays on the JV team and he has 3 younger brothers so I am sure the family will be attending and participating in many sporting events at GOHS for years to come.
Let's fill the stands with our support and show them that WE CARE as much as Coach Cirrus Sawyer cared about our kids.
If we collectively purchase 50-100 shirts that will send about $750-$1500 to Jessica Sawyer to help Coach Sawyers Family through this devastating time. But more importantly than money the spiritual uplifting it will bring them to see the support in the stands that the GOHS Family supports them on a much deeper level. We can really SHOW that WE CARE and make a difference in their lives if we join hands and work together to support and honor Coach Sawyer. This is truly a devastating loss to our GOHS Family. He can never be replaced but he can and will always be remembered.
I am certain your kids are hurting from this huge loss of their coach and mentor. As a coach, athlete, and grown man I can tell you after our parents, our coaches are the most influential people in our lives. I reconnected with my very influential elementary school coach Ken Jenkinsfrom the 70's a few years back on Facebook and we are now good friends. I let him know he was a GREAT coach and how much I appreciated him and that he gave me confidence that carried through my life. He later became an administrator at the school board but said his coaching years were his favorite and most memorable years of work. He even sent me old score cards of mine that he had saved from his coaching years for some of the competitions he organized.
I didn't realize it at the time but after growing older, having children, and reflecting back I remembered the people that meant the most to me and what they did for me. For me it was 1 teacher Graham Miller Frye and 2 different coaches Ken Jenkins and Coach Dier that gave me confidence that carried throughout my life. Money and gifts are great in the moment, but the most powerful heartfelt words of encouragement last a lifetime. Coach Sawyer was and still is that GREAT COACH for so many of our kids and countless others.
Supporting this cause not only supports the Sawyer Family but it also supports your own child during a very difficult time for them. You showing your support will also show your child you care about the people that have helped them in life. They will take that to the football field with a purpose and play for something bigger then themselves. They will "Chop it Up" for Coach Sawyer and give it their all.
One more thing, Let's start a new Wolfpack cheer tradition in Coach Sawyer’s Honor.
When you hear someone yell "Let's hear it for Coach Sawyer!!!" at the football game.
yell back "Chop it UP!! Wolfpack, Chop it UP!!!" and then start stomping your feet as FAST, HARD, and LOUD as you can just like Coach Sawyer inspired our boys to do on the practice field every day. I guarantee this cheer will resonate deeply within our boys and raise them to the next level.
Please share this with every Wolfpack Family you know so we can fill the stands with a Sea of Red shirts with Coach Sawyers name. This fundraiser will only last for 2 weeks so let’s get those orders in right away!!

Sincerely,
GOHS Wolfpack Dad

Support in Memory and Honor of GOHS Football Coach Cirrus Sawyer for Helping the Sawyer family during a devastating time This fundraiser will send a check to Jessica Sawyer and honor the memory of a truly GREAT Coach that made our boys better For those parents that never met Coach Cirrus Sawyer or saw him coaching at practices let me give you a glimpse of him from my eyes, a football player's Dad. I hope this will hel...

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