making a difference...

This past Monday we had our track team banquet/dinner (depends on how you want to look at it). This was kind of exciting because we never had anything like this while I was at Rice, and while we had the athletic banquet for the entire department, it was really nice to simply focus on our team. Dinner was great, everyone showed up, and the awards given out (with the stories behind them) were hilarious. The kids gave all the coaches cards and a single rose to show their appreciation for us and it definitely got a huge smile from each one of us...yep all 7 of us. Close to the end of the dinner I began reading my card since we had some down time and I could feel my eyes well up with tears. Before I tell you why, I must explain the story behind it.

There is this one particular athlete on the team who is by far at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to talent. But she comes to practice everyday and she gives 150% effort despite what her times or distances may show. When she first came out, she had to practice early twice a week because she had a class scheduled during practice time. Shannon (my work wife) and I took turns coming out early to make sure she wouldn't feel left out and "unloved" by the coaches. The first few times I was out there with here, we focused solely on sprint drills because she was so highly uncoordinated. She would get discouraged from time to time but I told her my story about how I started off as a super struggling athlete and ended up blossoming into a competitive division I athlete. I told her that no matter how bad I performed or how much I hurt doing so, I refused to quit until the coaches told me to leave. And they never did and that's what shaped me into the athlete I became over 4 years.

So back to the card. This athlete wrote "You kept me going when I thought I couldn't." Those words were so powerful to me and it made me feel that this year I succeeded as a coach. One of the main reasons I do what I do is so that I can make a difference in some one's life. I have a passion in what I do, and I try to portray that to my athletes...and apparently this season I did. For the first time a few of my girls saw my sensitive side and boy where they shocked. But when something as powerful as that occurs, you can't help but let the soft side shine through.

coach's weekend

This weekend was by far the worst I've had as a coach this year. It didn't help that I carried some "unhappy with the team" baggage into the meet, but the girls definitely topped off my "shit" list (for a lack of better words) on Saturday. As Carla put it, some of the girls brought their "A" game, and the rest (i.e. the majority) brought NO game. She wasn't pleased and neither was I. I think for the first time I was truly visibly upset with them, and it was elevated because this is championship season and we really don't have time for an "off day" as far as performance. Needless to say, if they do not get their act together, their season will be cut short. I've fought for them all season to be able to run through the remainder of the season, but at some point they have to prove that they can back up what I'm saying.

On a lighter note, here are some pics from conference weekend and the athlete banquet...I feel like I'm starting to look and get respected as an actual coach.