Throughout my time as an athlete, I have experienced a variety of coaches. I have had coaches who take constructive criticism to the next level, as well as the ones who I’ve asked myself if they even played the sport. Although not all of my experiences with coaches have been the greatest, there is one who changed my life.

The coach who showed me I am greater than my fears, victory does not come without pain and getting out of my comfort zone is normal.

Thank you for making me not only a better athlete but a better person.

When I didn’t see the potential in myself, you showed me what I was capable of. It was not easy; in fact, it was a constant battle. There were weeks I wanted to give up on myself, but you never gave up on me. You pushed me through every practice, forcing me to go the extra step. In those moments, I hated you, thinking how I was never good enough for you, or that you were picking on me.

Looking back, those are the moments I thank you for the most for.

Those were the times you pushed me to my true potential. You saw what I was capable of and you were simply pushing me to see it myself. In those moments, I developed into the best athlete and person I could be. It was never that I was not good enough, you just knew I could be better.

You saw what I could do from my first day of practice as a freshman. You knew what I could be and I had no idea what I was in for. You knew I could push myself further than what I believed to be possible. You knew one day I would be a leader. I would have never guessed I would fall in love with the sport and I owe it all to you.

Despite the practices where I was gasping for air, or where I thought my legs could not possibly go another step, I found my passion because you pushed me to levels of success I had never experienced.

Even though there were moments I questioned your sanity as you read off our practice agenda, I learned to place my trust in you. Every practice had a purpose, and I pushed and ground through the tears, pain, and failure. You knew these feelings would produce moments I would never forget. I cannot thank you enough for showing me what it took to achieve my goals and how to be a leader.

Perhaps what I appreciate most was how you saw my value beyond athletics. You showed me that being a leader is not always being the best athlete, but being the best person I could be. You showed me it meant never giving up, even in the face of adversity. You held me to higher expectations, you pushed me to set the standard for the team. You taught me that being a leader is realizing you are a piece of something larger than yourself and you must do whatever it takes to improve the team. Each of these lessons made me more motivated and to this day, they play a prominent role in my life.

I will always look up to you. You will always be the person I go to when I feel discouraged. You taught me I can always go further in whatever I set my mind to. You showed me what it takes to be successful and a leader. You showed me that if I can push myself out of my comfort zone, and embrace the pain along the way, that I will be victorious. You showed me how great I can be, even when I don’t believe it myself.

You taught me so much more than the basics of a sport I love - you taught me how to make myself a better person and how to achieve goals I never imagined I could reach.

Thank you for the pain you created, the tears you caused, the success you predicted and the confidence you instilled in me. Each of these created the athlete and leader you knew I was capable of. You showed me what it takes to reach my goals and I can always go further than I what I imagine possible. You never gave up on me and because of that, I am the person I am today.

Thank you for everything, Coach.