If you have ever heard a professional athlete speak after winning, they go through their list of people to thank. They thank their coaches, teammates, trainers and so on, but in the end, they always thank the person who raised them the most. Whether it’s their mom, dad or grandma, it’s the same for every athlete whether they're professionals or in high school. Why? Because they are the ones who no matter how much we failed or lost still came up to us after we were done competing and told us "good job." It is because of my parents that I am the athlete I am today.
From the time I could run, I remember being in sports. I started with soccer, playing poorly with my teammates and scoring goals for the other team, but that was the fun of it. I knew soccer was not my forte and was ready to give it up for good once the season ended. Then as time went on, I tried softball and volleyball, but then I found the sport I loved the most, track. Through all of this, there have always been two people in the stands that I could count on no matter how poorly or well I performed.
They were the silent supporters who brought orange slices and juice boxes to our games, drove us every which way so that we could practice and play, washed our stinky clothes after every race and took care of every bruise and bump we got from playing. They did so much behind the scenes, and it is because of these people that we are confident in the sport we love.
We have never given them as much credit as they deserve and they have never asked for it either. They are proud of our successes and are there ready to help us with our losses. They don’t mind sitting in the cold weather or blistering hot sun if it means they get to watch the sport we love put smiles on our faces. They love to see us play and getting to do just that is payment enough.
They have talked us out of quitting, given us motivational talks and endlessly cheered from the benches. They have taught us humility and good sportsmanship, as well as showing us that the best way for us to succeed in life is to never give up.
They have done so much for us. Family vacations were spent at out-of-town tournaments, extra money spent on new shoes or gear and they never complained about providing us with what we needed to succeed.
Now that I am in college and far away from home, my family has still found a way to support me. From "good luck" texts to "you’ll get it next time" phone calls. My parents have never faltered on being there for me. It has never been my coaches who have taught me important life lessons from a sport, it has always been you, Mom and Dad, who have taught me what it takes to make it in life and for that, I am eternally grateful.
