Dear Speech Coaches,
Every part of who I am becoming in life can be traced back to my freshman year of high school. It took a speech teacher taking me into an incredible program to find out who I really was and what I was capable of. Speech and debate was much more to me than I would have ever thought possible,and my love for it still exists today because of the sacrifices made by you as coaches, both my own, and from other schools. The friendships that I built within my own school's program soon expanded to include so many other students from schools across the state as my confidence soared from competing and your encouragement. Many of those friendships still invest in me today. All of my experiences in speech, and the experiences of so many others, we owe to you giving up your weekends and evenings to see us succeed.
The program that grew me into the student and competitor I was would have never been the same if the coach had not been so willing to invest in us. Every speech coach I've had since then is deserving of a huge thank you for being the ones to push me to reach my full potential, especially when I was so convinced that I would never improve. For nearly five years of my life, I spent most weekends in suits and panty hoes, running from round to round with binders and a laptop in tow, each time expecting to win. But for every lost round, or every posting where my name wasn't seen, there was a coach and team waiting to cheer me on to the next tournament. Whether in high school or college, the coaches carry the heart and soul of their team, and I could not have been more blessed.
Looking back after not competing for nearly a year, there are so many things I wish I had done, and so many times I wish I had listened to my coaches and trusted their instinct. I cannot fathom how you gave up so many years and so much time to deal with generally very sassy and talented students, only to not be respected as you deserve, but I cannot relay my thanks enough to you. Because of your patience, so many students are getting the unique opportunity to share stories that would have sat dormant within their conscience, eating away at their confidence. Because of your commitment, so many students have been able to hear stories similar to their own and realize they weren't alone, and the challenges they were forced to endure can only make them stronger, allowing them to be a role model, not a victim.
The students that you as speech coaches invest in are the ones that will go on to change the world. You gave power to once silent voices. With your ability, you are creating the next generation of inspirational speakers and politicians, you are the catalyst to change in our world. So from every student to ever compete, I want to thank you. Here's to every case deadline, practice debate, and rejected piece ideas because they really made all the difference. You may not see the end result of all your work, but you make such a lasting impact.
