Being cut from a sport, especially your main sport, is devastating. You feel defeated and unwanted. Maybe you weren’t good enough, or maybe someone else was better. Various emotions run through your mind and it feels as if the world may just end. It can be hard to overcome that struggle of rejection from a coach, but in the end, it pushes you to be better and teaches you that there is more to life. So here is a letter to the coach who cut me.
Even though I busted my butt and worked hard through the seasons and the summers, you still didn’t want me. Even though I tried my best and gave 100 percent, you still didn’t want me. Even though I sacrificed other aspects of my life for this sport, you still didn’t want me. All the years of sweat and bruises just didn’t cut it for you. But that's okay. You were the one who pushed me to succeed and try again. You were the one who showed me tough love and taught me that getting what you want does not come easy. You were the one who made my skin thicker and my mind stronger. Getting told “no” by you for something I wanted so badly kicked me in the gut...really hard, but it was also what made me get up and keep after the sport I love. So thank you for rejecting me, and pushing me down because you helped me succeed in the moments when doubt consumed my mind. Whether I deserved the “no” or not, thank you for giving it to me as a failure just so I could rise to the challenge and pursue my goals harder.
Not only did I learn to fall and get back up, but I learned that this sport isn’t everything. We start playing sports we love at such a young age that it starts to consume us. We get so caught up in the sport that we lose sight of the other opportunities we have in other areas of our lives. Cutting me and taking away my sport helped open my eyes to other aspects around me. So thank you for showing me that this sport was not the only thing I had. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to invest myself in other areas of my life. You helped me realize that my plans are so minuscule compared to God’s. Thank you for giving me no choice but to wait patiently. Thank you for fulfilling God’s plan in my life and showing me that there is so much more than just this sport.
Even though you cut me from something I wanted, I truly thank you for doing so. You helped me become stronger. You helped me open my eyes. You helped give me the drive I needed. You didn’t want me as a player, and that's okay because you are the one who pushed me to succeed.
“Never stop playing the game that you love just because someone said you weren’t good enough. Just because they said you can’t doesn’t mean you can’t.” -Anonymous
