Dear Former Varsity Coach,

I won't give you the satisfaction of telling you that you have ruined my sport for me. You didn't ruin the sport, but you did ruin what was supposed to be one of the best years of my life. Varsity volleyball was one of the only things I looked forward to all throughout middle and high school and it pains me to say that being on your team was a complete let down. I had such high hopes for my varsity volleyball career; it was the only sport I truly had a passion for. Throughout the years, I watched family members and friends play the very same sport, performing phenomenally, setting records, and moving on to compete against bigger and better teams because of how hard they worked and how well they worked together. I couldn't wait for my turn to be a part of a team like that, and to have my senior night. You even pulled me up on to varsity while I was still on junior varsity so I could join you and your team at sectionals and I thought, "This is it! Coach believes in me and thinks I'm a good player!" but apparently I was sadly mistaken. I wasn't surprised when I sat the bench during the sectionals games and I wasn't upset in the slightest; those girls had earned their spot on the court and I was just happy to be able to practice with such amazing players and watch them in the games they played. I wasn't even surprised when I sat the bench my first year of varsity because again, the seniors had earned their positions -- it was their last year and they needed to make the most of it all while helping us juniors learn to be better players.

My junior year was, however, the first glimpse into how terrible of a coach you really were. I began to see your biases, your anger, your extreme favoritism and your criticism. I watched you bench girls that deserved to be playing just because they made one minuscule mistake and I saw you leave your favorites in the game no matter how many mistakes they made. I started to see how some of the girls would suck up to you and that those girls were the ones that were always on the court. I tried to tell myself that things would change when it was my turn, things would be different for my senior year. I would prove to you that I was worthy of being on that court just as much as, if not more than, any other person on the team. I went to volleyball camps every summer from my middle school years up until my senior year of high school. I found the best camps I could, asked for extra help, had my family members practice with me whenever possible. I did exercises at home in hopes of becoming stronger, quicker, and better overall at the sport of my dreams. I wanted to play at a college level, I wanted to set records, I wanted to be the player that everyone looked up to and that you would be proud of. My determination, passion, and love for the game would allow me to achieve my goals and I had no doubt about that -- until senior year rolled around.

At first everything was great! Tryouts went smoothly, we had a decent team put together and we began practice which was fun, of course, because I was finally able to play volleyball again. But it wasn't long before that angry, biased coach I knew came out of you and my rump ended up on the bench. I could't figure it out for the life of me. I gave my all in practice, I went out of my way to learn new things, I practiced in and out of practice and I performed really well in games but it seemed like no matter what I did, it just wasn't good enough for you. I watched as you praised the juniors and a part of me wondered why the roles had been reversed. Wasn't it the other way around when I was a junior? How did the seniors who had worked for this for years end up on the bench while the younger more inexperienced players got to be in the games? Those of us who had felt wronged by you tried everything we could to get your attention, to ask what we were doing wrong, to find help and try to fix whatever issue there may have been that made you suddenly neglect your other players while you praised your pets.

The majority of your team at that time was on the brink of quitting -- aside from your "star players" of course. We saw that you had your favorites and that we meant nothing to you unless something happened to them or they needed a two minute water break. We were nothing but bodies to you; you didn't see us as players at all anymore and that hurt. To know that no matter how good I was, I would always sit the bench if your favorite people were present. I didn't get the senior year I dreamed of. I didn't have that amazing experience with a great team and a victory at sectionals or anywhere near close to that. We lost every single game and somehow you still didn't see an error in your ways. My fellow seniors and I didn't even get a proper senior night because of your poor planning and your lack of caring. Being on your team was one of the worst experiences of my life to date; I will never forgive you for the pain you have caused me or the tears I have shed. I am proud, however, to be able to say that although you ruined my varsity career, you will never be able to diminish my love for the game. If anything, this experience has taught me that no matter how hard you try, the wrong person will not see your worth no matter how brightly you shine.

Sincerely,

The player you mistakenly overlooked