Coaching is a tricky skill; you have to find a happy medium between being a friend and laying your fist down, building a team, teaching new skills, developing old skills, and everything in between. We sometimes take our coaches for granted, especially until you're no longer their athlete. Then once you no longer step out onto the floor, court, or field, you realize just how much they actually did for you. While others weren't so blessed when it came to having a good coach, I can say I was blessed with some of the best.
To the coaches that always believed in me,
Thank you. I can't stress enough how much it meant to me that you believed in me, even when I didn't. I didn't see it in high school, but after I graduated I realized how much you believed in my success. Thank you for putting me in my place when I needed it. Everyone thinks that they do everything perfectly Everytime, which is the farthest from true. So thank you for correcting me even when I was pretty sure I was doing things perfectly.
Adding onto that, I am so very sorry. We all know that in high school, we think we know everything. We don't, no one really knows everything. Even as an adult, you're pretty much looking things up on Google every day. So I am very sorry for thinking I was a know it all. I'm sorry if I argued or thought you were wrong, you weren't and I know that now. I know that you were actually right about 99% of the time. But the think that I'm most sorry for, is that I took my time with you for granted. I'm sorry that o never saw you as the person that would unconditionally have my back. I'm sorry for the times I was lazy at practice. I'm sorry I didn't cherish all of those times with you.
You have a new team under you now and I hope that they don't take you for granted like we did. I hope that they see you as the coach, friend, mom, and supporter that you are. I can honestly say that looking back, we had a wild ride together. Thank you for helping to create me into the person I became today. Thank you for loving me and believing in me when I couldn't do that myself. Thank you so much for everything, I really do love you.
Love,
The retired athlete
