The final three-point shot. The Hail Mary throw when your team is third and long. The last lap in the pool or the track. All of these are moments, snapshots in time, ingrained in our memory. Following memorable plays or events, we often remember the person that did them, the person that made that memory memorable. Their name becomes synonymous as a force to be reckoned with. Or if it is not one single person, the team becomes a cross-town rival sure to fill the story books of any high school story. However, we fail to focus on the method behind the madness, the person that crafted that individual — the coach. We forget the time, dedication, early mornings and late nights it takes to make that star player or team shine through. They give selflessly; never seeking anything in return but the success of their athletes, but they deserve a thank you. A much-needed thank you, because without them, that team, that player, that moment, would be nonexistent.

Dear High School Coach,

Where do I even begin? How do I sum up four years, two seasons and countless hours spent together, in one article? It is hard to put into words how much you mean to me. Trust me — but I’ll try my best. Thank you for being a second dad to me. You were there through the tears of false starts, harsh losses, hard practices, sore muscles and days where I thought I couldn’t run any harder. But you looked me in the eyes, gave me one of your emotional pep talks and a hug, and always informed me that the hard work that is put in at the beginning of the season pays off at the end. I trusted you. I trusted you because I cared about letting you down. I cared about you. I knew that no matter how hard practice seemed at the time there was a reason that you were working us so hard — you had the ultimate plan. You taught me what it was to truly trust someone that wasn’t part of my immediate family. I came to you as a shy, nervous freshman who wanted to run, and I left senior year not only a better athlete, but a better person — because of you. You showed me support, unconditional love, dedication, honesty and everything that a young girl needs to be shown at times when she needs it the most, and you did it not because you had to — but because you wanted to. Because I was a part of the children you never had.

Those 5:45 swim workouts — thank you. No seriously, thank you. For anyone in high school, the idea of waking up at 5:45 seems unbearable. Even unimaginable. But, waking up that early wasn’t hard knowing that it was for you. Yes, it was for us athletes too, I get that. But if you weren’t the coach you were, it would’ve been a lot harder waking up. You may have not known it at the time, maybe you were only focused on the success of the season, but you taught me a lot of valuable things from those morning workouts. You taught me hard work and dedication and that hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard. You taught me the importance of team and togetherness. A team is not based on one sole individual, but the parts that make it a whole. How supporting your team at the “roots” (even when that may be shooting a teammate a text to wake them up for morning practice) is entirely what being on a team means. You taught me what it means to be bigger than myself from those 5:45 practices. I wasn’t at those practices to only better me — I was there because everyone on a team depends on each other. Everyone expects the best they can give, and you were the epitome of that, the best coach anyone can ask for.

Thank you for being there for the moments of insanely high highs and rock bottom lows, because with your calm, caring attitude, no matter what the outcome was you were proud either way. For the big bear hug after the sectional final my junior year when we knew advancing to state was going to be a dogfight but we made it anyway in the last feet of the race. For the consoling hug accompanied with the two bags of ice after I pulled my hamstring twice in one season, thinking that a shot at regionals and sectionals was over. For motivational pep talks whenever I was too nervous, or when you knew that just a talk was what I needed. You were there through it all. You were there for the tears of joy, sadness, anger, shock and whatever emotion accompanies the trials and tribulations of running. You were there, and you didn’t shy away from it once. Knowing you have someone to fall back on that is a constant in the ever-changing ways of life is refreshing. You were that constant, for me and the entire team, and there is no possible way to thank you for that.

I will have coaches after you and have had coaches before you, but none of them will ever compare to you. You made going to practice each day, meet days and early morning workouts worth it. You did everything for me and the team, and looking back on it now, I didn’t say thank you enough. Everything you did was out of the love you had for us, and nothing more. That isn’t the case for all coaches. Thank you for everything: the unconditional support, Chinese Proverb quotes, the geese and the wolf team talks, teaching me how to use blocks in a race, how to (somewhat) love the 400, how to “finish, finish, finish” every race, how to punch the baton into my teammates hand and most importantly, how to be a kind, caring and compassionate teammate that will extend far beyond my running days. You always say that the girls you coach impact you and make you the coach that you are, but hear me when I say you have impacted my life in more ways than one. And for that all I can say is thank you.