Dear Coach,
I’m not going to lie, it was kind of scary the first time I ever walked onto a basketball court. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like it. There were so many thoughts that were running through my head like, what if I sucked and nobody liked me? I didn’t know what I was doing and truly didn’t know the enormity of what I was getting myself into, but all those fears dissolved once I met you.
Everyone knows that it can be kind of brutal watching little kids play sports, let alone coach them in it. They haven’t quite grown into themselves and are still learning the ins and outs of the game and honing in on their skills. It takes a very, very special person to be able to coach a young group of kids and to be completely honest you, killed the game in that regard. The way you approached practice and treated us was amazing. You were always so engaged and excited to be teaching us the sport that you loved. That attitude transcended into every single one of us in everything that we did. We were like the extra daughters that you never formally asked for but know that you were happy to have. You taught us the game of basketball, passion, and most importantly, to have fun.
It wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine at practice and games though. If we didn’t understand a concept or how to do something correctly, you made sure that we got it. Sometimes it didn’t always click so fast, and we would get really frustrated with ourselves. No matter how angry we would get for not having the correct shooting form or doing a lay-up right, you would always be there to say “Good try, but do it like this next time.” You would make sure to have us stay after practice if we were really struggling and always have something positive to say. You taught us to never settle and if you think you’re working hard you could be doing more. You were essentially teaching us to never be complacent, and that’s a lesson that not all people learn, but one that I have found to be extremely valuable not only in my life but in my career.
Sometimes when people don’t have good experiences with something, it kind of clouds their vision. By having such a solid foundation with you as a coach, I was really able to fall in love with the game and everything that it has to offer. I’m sure that a lot of people can relate to this and can account for that one person who made them fall in love with the one thing that they can’t imagine living without. The way that you approached the game, your passion for teaching, and the way that you treated everyone on our team set a solid basis for me and created the player that I am today. I am forever grateful to you for that.
Love,
Your very appreciative former player
