From the time I started playing softball in second grade and Upwards basketball around the same time, I have always been involved in sports. For years, I played Dixie League softball in the summer and school ball every spring from the time I was in the seventh grade. Though I gave up basketball when I was young, I found my way back to my favorite sport by the time eighth grade rolled around.
For me, sports and all the hard work involved with playing them instilled a lifelong strong work ethic that spill over into my college academic life as well anything else I involve myself in. It taught me responsibility and leadership that I call on as a member of the leadership and mentoring program at my college and as president of the Psychology Club.
However, it isn't just sports that taught me all these things. It was the people who coached and mentored me along the way.
I count myself blessed to have had the many great coaches I've had over the course of my athletic career. Each coach taught me something different that has helped me in some way on my latest journey.
I can still recall in vivid detail every single summer workout, all the "fun runs," the practices, the games and the end of the season speeches. It's not easy to take a bunch of different people and turn them into a team, but somehow they do it, and in the process, they lay a base that makes us the men and women we will become. One day, those athletes will lay down their equipment and their athletic career will come to an end. Most will forget the plays, they'll forget what it felt like to run stairs with a weight vest on in the middle of July, and they'll forget the practices.
I can guarantee there is something they will never forget. They'll never forget the words, the values, and the work ethic. They won't forget the people who helped shape them into who they are today. There are certain things that I won't ever forget, even as the years pass and the details of my athletic career become fuzzy. I may not have understood everything those coaches did back then, but what I didn't understand then, I understand now.
So coaches, when you start to feel like your players aren't listening and you start to feel frustrated, stop for a moment. Take a breath. Remember that you're building something in them that will last a lifetime. They might not get it now, but when it matters most, they'll understand.
Athletes, listen carefully. Try to understand that your coaches aren't trying to make your life difficult. They're only helping you in the long run. Don't get frustrated when they make long speeches at the end of a practice or game. What they have to say is important and it will last you a lifetime.
