Gift of Patience.
Have you ever thought about the people who were there for professional athletes in the beginning? The people who fueled their passion, who helped create heart for the game. The people who taught them fundamentals, who hit hundreds of grounders, who threw hundreds of passes, who worked on footwork… the people who took time out of their days to also be a mediator between athlete and parent. The people who were gifted with patience to be there for every ground ball through their legs, every busted lip from a missed ball and every tear from a strike out. The coaches who comforted the kids getting tackled, or court burn while also encouraging them to keep going. The coaches that woke up at 5 in the morning to make the games. The same people who loved the kid who showed up in the wrong uniform, the ones who taught the kids that team sports aren’t just about one player and to win together and lose together. The ones who took kids out outside of practice and did one on one lessons to catch them up. The people who created a healthy relationship between child and sport and gave them excitement and discipline. These people are our kids coaches. The coaches who are on the field when no one else wants to be, when no one can find the grace and compassion to stick it out through the growing pains of kids sports.
These coaches will never be recognized, might not ever be remembered or spoken of again, but because of these coaches kids then go on to become high school and college athletes, and the best of the best become professionals. If it weren’t for the time the coaches put in at a young age, or the patience and grace they show, some kids might give up and never reach their potential. Every professional athlete had a coach that believed in them, worked with them, and helped them fall in love with their sport. We need more of them.
Thank you to the Coach Jons, Coach Willies, Coach Kayas, Coach Jasons, Coach Tanners, to all the coaches out there who sacrifice so that kids have an opportunity to fall in love with a game.
