It was my first varsity soccer game of my high school career. Skinny, awkward, and anxious, I sat on our bench gnawing on my mouth guard Steph Curry style. My Coach, a living legend in my community called me up to jump into the fray. It was a nasty one; elbows being thrown around, words being spat at each other, but my coach put his hand on my back and said one simple thing: "Do your job. Put the ball in the net. Take the game from them". These words have stuck with me, and I view that as a testament to the impact coaches can have on our lives, long after the final whistle.
Once in a long while, a coach may step into your life. For many people, this coach serves as a figure to look up to, one to impress, or even a friend. What makes a coach special is not only what they teach you on the field, but off. The end and side lines of the field are a thin barrier; coaching permeates beyond the field. Things that are taught and applied to the sport can be taken and put into life views.
"Do your job", and for me, this meant set expectations for yourself, and don't quit until you achieve them. This didn't seem like an act of subordinacy, but instead it was a request from my coach to put faith in myself. I knew my training was hard, I knew I would see results, but only if I placed my complete trust in myself.
"Put the ball in the net". This wasn't an order, it was a request that I was driven to fulfill. To visualize myself being successful is one of the main reasons I became the person I am today; a senior in college, happy, healthy, and ambitious. I tell myself to "put the ball in the net" every morning. If the ball is a hurdle, then putting it in the net is overcoming that hurdle.
"Take the game from them". This one is a little more complicated. Take the game from them? How? It was a delicate question that I struggled to answer. But in the end, it means setting yourself up for success. It's hard to be dragged down when you're miles above everyone else.
There are people in our lives and in our communities that often go unrecognized. They put in countless hours preparing us for events that occur on the field, but we often overlook to hours they spend preparing us for events off the field, and for that, I think we owe our coaches a thank you.
