As of yesterday afternoon, my 2010-2011 basketball season has come to an end. On my drive home from the championship game I picked up my phone to call my dad. It is not uncommon for me to call him after a game to give him a recap of what transpired. It was during this conversation that I found myself myself fighting back tears as I asked him, "Dad, do you think they (the player's parents) have any idea how much I care?"
When I say I care, I am not talking about winning or losing. Although, I hate losing as much as anyone you will find, and I am highly committed to creating a successful, winning program. When I say I care, I am referring to creating more confident kids and capable leaders who understand self-respect, teamwork, dedication, commitment, and sportsmanship. I am demanding, yet I would like to believe we have fun. My desire to develop better and more skilled players, comes second only to my desire to empower kids to dream and achieve.
I spent several hours yesterday afternoon thinking about the life of a coach, a middle school coach in particular. I began thinking about reasons I coach, but also the reasons I do not.
I do not coach because of the money, in fact its a little scarce.
I do not coach because of the hours, quite frankly they are not good.
I do not coach simply because I love the game, if that was the case I would still be playing.
I do not coach because its easy, its one of the more challenging things I have done.
I do not coach for my ego, there is too much I cannot control.
In short, I coach because I believe I can make a difference.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with a coach's play selection, defensive emphasis, or their starting line-up, I challenge you to take a closer look into their heart. Why do they do, what they do? Its funny, because as an athlete I always felt like the destiny of my team was in my hands, and now as a coach I feel the same way except with a greater deal of judgement.
"Coaching is a profession of love. You cannot coach people unless you love them." - Eddie Robinson
No, probably they do not know how much you care. But remember, Jesus cared enough to heal ten lepers even though only one came back and ever thanked Him.
ReplyDeleteThe majority will not know or care, but some will--either way, whether thankful or not, you ARE making a difference--a PROFOUND difference--and in more people than you even realize.
I love this post Lindsey :). I contemplate the same things, being a coach myself, except I have a high school team and a college team. It's hard to know how to draw a fine line between being firm, being inspirational, being demanding, yet being fun, all while being so close in age to all of the girls that I coach.
ReplyDeleteI'm very motivated by going through the same things you are. Keep it up and I'm sure your girls love you more than they could ever express.
@Joe: Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate the critical reminder and your willingness to share.
ReplyDelete@StephD: It is refreshing to hear that there are others who share my same sentiment. I wish you the very best in all your coaching endeavors! I am sure you are making a positive impact as well.
Thank you for this post! As a coach for a Division 1 program, my life is completely centered around my girls. We are mid-season right now, and life couldn't be crazier. Thank you for the reminder of why we do and sacrifice so much.
ReplyDeleteWell said! My hubby is a high school football coach. I wish some of the parents would read your blog post *rolling my eyes* They can be horrible some times. Anyway, great post! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete@Bri: Stay at it! I am sure you are making an impact.
ReplyDelete@Corinne: The best thing you can do is be there to support your man when he is down and out. I am sure he is making a difference, whether it seems that way at the present moment or not.
I love this post Lindsey! And the photo as well :) I think you could easily replace the word "coach" with the word "love," at least for most of those phrases. A powerful set of ethics for the way life should be lived.
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