Throughout high school sports there were many teachers, coaches and peers who helped me through life and likewise tore me down.

The struggle in sports in a small town is that if you aren't good, you're nothing. Some coaches are even capable of killing your passion for the game. Which is why confidence is key. You can be confident in yourself, but there is nothing better when you hear from a coaches mouth "I believe in you." When I head this from my coach I knew that I could tackle anything.

My biggest supporter through sports was that one coach.

He was always there when I needed a pick me up or to confide in. There is no other coach out there that made me believe in myself as much as he did. I am so glad to have had him as a coach for four years and to this day I know that if I ever need anything, he will help me through it.

I want to say thank you to this amazing coach. I am so glad to have had you coach me through life, sports, and all things in between. You are what I aspire to be in a coach and a teacher. You made me into the person that I am today and reignited my passion for basketball, and strengthened my love for track and field. Thank you so much for believing in me and pushing me to do my best in everything that I do. When you said those four words to me during practice my whole view point on myself and what I could do. I don't believe that I could ever thank you enough for all that you did for me. It may seem small, but it means a lot.

To all future coaches, take this to heart.

Remember the first time that someone said they believed in you. Think of all of the things that went through your head. Most importantly, remember how you felt after. Spread that feeling to all other athletes through your coaching. Coaches have many opportunities to help their athletes, but many don't take the chance to go out of their way to help them realize their potential. As a future coach I choose to help my athletes see how important they are and believe in them so they can believe in themselves.

Will you?