As I reflect on my sports career and how it began when I was 4 or 5 years old kicking a soccer ball around my front lawn always wanting to be as good as Molli or dribbling a basketball down the courts at the M.A.C. with teammates that I kept throughout all of my years of basketball, I think about the people, players, coaches, administrators and teammates that I came across years of playing sports. It is normal to not get along with everyone in your life, and I had my fair share of hard to deal with teammates or difficult parents on the sidelines. After all, when you are the coaches kid, you get a little more hate than others.
Something that has stuck with me (that I have honestly never talked about much) is the coach I did not like. At the time, I honestly never thought I would speak to or feel the need to see you ever again, but 5 years has gone by since I ran up and down that court and down those fields and now I can admit that I am thankful for you.
You showed me real life struggle and real life criticism when I was young. I have carried that lesson throughout my entire life and it has truly made me a better person. I learned that you can absolutely bust your ass for a goal you are trying to achieve, and it still may not be good enough for some people. You taught me that sometimes the people you take guidance and advice from, will say mean and nasty things behind your back but it makes you just as terrible of a person to say things behind theirs in retaliation. You taught me to work hard and play harder, and not just for myself, but for my teammates, too, because playing for you was never good enough.
You taught me that sometimes coaches or authority figures say "I Am Proud Of You" in different ways; you have to listen closely. You taught me to confront my problems, letting it fester will absolutely make it worse. You taught me that hard work trumps talent, it just takes time for that to show. You taught me to find a passion in something I love, whatever it may be, and not to let one single person discourage me from reaching my goals.
Although I learned a lot on the court and on the field, nothing compares to the things you taught me in life. I hated you; I cried many nights because of how you treated me, but I did not quit because of you. I stuck it out, and I made a passion out of athletics and everything that comes with them. I may someday coach kids, teach kids and mentor kids, and I am so thankful to have had you as a coach because without you, I wouldn't know the coach that I do not want to be.
If you are an athlete reading this post, I am telling you to STICK IT OUT. Do not give any coach, teammate, official, or opponent the satisfaction of watching you walk away from something you love. The valuable life lessons you will learn from that struggle are worth every single second.
