When I was in undergrad, I had the best relationships with my coaches. I absolutely adored them...each of them because of their own special characteristics. Jim always had every one's best interest at heart. I could go to him with pretty much anything and he had the ability to make me feel like it was the most important thing even if it was super small in nature. I had this relationship with Andy as if she was more than just my coach...but also my friend. She probably knew more about me then she cared to know, but she was also there to listen, something that a lot of coaches don't know how to do. Nance was always a stickler for the rules and super blunt by nature. But I appreciate that so much more now, because she made me aware of the dos and don'ts of how to run a program. The one thing that I loved about my coaches the most was that they saw something in me and believed in me when I had no clue that I could even be remotely competitive in division I. For that I will never be able to thank them enough.
Jim used to always tell stories...these stories would come at the most random of times...in the middle of team meetings, while trying to explain a jumping concept to me, or when we would go out for coffee before practice. I remember sitting and listening intently, even if I had heard a particular story 3 times before. He has this intimate relationship with all of his athletes and I always hoped that I would make the same type of impact on him that his former athletes had on him. I secretly wished that one day he would have a story about me. Well apparently he does now. I called him after my competition last weekend and he was thoroughly impressed that I had competed so well for so little training. At this week's Rice women's team meeting, he told them my story. I heard about it from my best friend who still runs and it made me smile so brightly both inside and out.
As a first year coach, I feel like I'm starting to develop relationships with my athletes similar to those that I had with my coaches. It's a little different being on the other side of the table. Sometimes they tell me too much information that frankly I just don't want to know. But other times I am extremely happy that they are comfortable enough to come to me with even the smallest of details of their lives. I want to get to know them not just on the track but off as well, because it is my job to help develop them as a person just as my coaches did with me. No matter how much money I will make in this profession, no monetary value can ever be placed on the relationships I have and will establish throughout my career. I was so upset with my girls today, but after hearing about what happened at Rice, I know that everyday is not going to be great, but it makes me remember that it's the little things that make all the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment