“A good coach can change a GAME. A great coach can change a LIFE.”

Coach,

I could never adequately explain the amount of gratitude and appreciation I have for you. No amount of words would come close to suffice when I say that my life would not be what it is without the growth you facilitated in me and the support you gave me. It wasn’t just in the words you said, but how you showed us we were more than we ever thought we could be. It was the way you challenged me in ways I didn’t know I could be challenged, the way you took my weaknesses and turned them into strengths, the way you never let lose mean defeat, the way failure was never an option. The way a team really meant family.

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” – Sheryl Sandberg

Thank you for allowing me to see all that I could be, for digging deeper to find that drive and persistence I couldn’t get to on my own. You trained my mind and body through consistent discipline and high expectations. You never accepted anything less than 110%. You taught me about true commitment and perseverance, respect and the significance of selflessness. Those lessons have been left with me and they will continue to guide me in my future endeavors, leading me to make the right choices in all situations. And in the years to come, I know they will still be the backbone of my life and decisions.

“Sports do not build character, they reveal It.” – John Wooden

I wish I could tell you how every little thing you did change me-- how the struggle was necessary for the success we achieved and for the athletes we became. Because of those times, I know what I am capable of, I know there is no boundary to what you set your mind to do, I know that the power of encouragement can make things that seemed impossible possible and that you're only as good as your team is. All these things you taught me about the game, about life, but ultimately about myself, could never be replicated. I could never explain to someone the things you did that made you so great because it was everything you did. The way you demanded the best out of us every single day, the way you never settled for anything less than our absolute best, the way you never let up on us, the way you pushed us when we were ready to just give up. Because of your drive and your motivation we weren’t just better players, but we were better people.

"The test of a good coach is that when they leave, others will carry on successfully." – Author Unknown

You made us better just by being the great coach you are. You never told us what we had to do to be a good team, you coached us in a way so we learned to be a good team, full of leaders and die-hard players. One example that sticks out of my mind is during conditioning. We all try our best to make our allotted times or run every expected exercise, but we sometimes don’t always succeed, and when that happens that person has to make up what they missed. So when we're all done that person gets on the line to start what they missed and you’ll time them as we rest. But instead of sitting back and watching we all get up and go on the line too. We don’t get on the line because you told us to; we get on the line because we want to, because even though we can’t feel our legs and we're pouring with sweat, we know that being a good team means sacrificing your needs for someone else’s. That we are all in this together and if one of us is lacking then we all are. So even if it seems like we couldn’t run for one more second we dig down deep to find the strength to sprint it out one more time and we make sure it’s our best one.

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan

Coaches are supposed to see players as what they can be and not as what they are, so you glorify, encourage, and help us to see ourselves in the way you see us because you want us to understand just how talented and capable we are. Sometimes knowing that is enough to make us better. But the way you see us is also the way we see you. We idolize and admire your gracious and hard working qualities. You're humble, respectful, sincere, altruistic, and kind-hearted. You sacrificed so much of your time to see us succeed even when we would let you down. You would run with us at our 6 AM's, cheer for us, and consistently expect greatness from us. I just want you to know that I wish we could have succeeded every time for you, I wish the games that didn’t end in our favor did for you, that the long practices, which didn’t always reveal our true potential, did. I wish I could go back and re-do those things so that you could truly know all the time you spent teaching and working with us made all the difference.

“Losing is part of the game. If you never lose, you are never truly tested, and never forced to grow.” – David Sirlin

Still, today, when I’m working out and I’m at a point where exhaustion sets in, I think of you and I imagine you there pushing me. It’s what drives me, and instead of giving in I pursue that motivation further than I planned on going. I could never tell you the depth your influence has had on me. You’ve made such a significant difference in my life especially in a time when I needed it the most. I will never forget the way you made me feel and how you were truly instrumental in my journey. I only hope that I impacted your life as much as you impacted mine.

“I absolutely believe that people UNLESS COACHED, never reach their maximum capabilities.” – Bob Nardelli