Just yesterday, I started thinking about my high school lacrosse days and what a nightmare they were. To put it simply, we sucked. My senior year, even with 10+ seniors on the varsity team, we managed to win 8 games out of 19. Our losses were pretty bad, often times losing by 10 or more points. I left practices and games frustrated and angry, occasionally to the point of tears. Favoritism ran rampant and coaches turned a blind eye to misconduct for the sake of a win.

Here goes nothing.

Dear Coach,

I discovered the sport of lacrosse entering my freshman year. Months before the season started, I shuffled my mom back and forth between several sports stores trying to find the perfect stick, cleats, and goggles. Once the season began, my commitment was clear. I would race out of class to change clothes and schlep all my gear to the football fields for practice. Out of all four years, I missed less than 15 practices, most due to the fact that I contracted mono right before the season started senior year. Every single day for the better part of high school, I committed myself to going to school, going to practice until 5 pm, and then working until 10 pm. During the summers, I had my mom sign me up for several camps and leagues to continue working on my mediocre-at-best skills. I was in love.

When I made it to varsity, however, everything changed. You ruined my self esteem. You ruined a sport I loved. I cried about the way I was treated more times than I'd ever care to admit.

Despite my unwavering commitment to the team, you gave me minimal playing time. Despite coming to practice almost every day, girls who showed up late or not at all at least once a week managed to stay on the field for what seemed like ages. Even when I had mono, I went to the weight room almost every day so that I wouldn't be behind. I even went on the team trip to Florida even though I couldn't actually play, just so I could be with the team and do conditioning.

All I wanted was to play. All I wanted was a chance. But you couldn't even give me that.

I will never say I'm great, or even good. Despite that, I made my sport my priority in hopes that I could get better, and get better I did. Each year I progressed, not much, but enough to know that my hard work was paying off. You didn't see that.

However, part of what I was thinking about yesterday was how you never gave me a chance. But somebody did, and now I'm a national champion.

So suck it.

Signed,

"AB"