The mysterious joy of punishing athletes is better known as coaching. Now some of the athletes and ex athletes are nodding their heads in amused agreement with this description, but I am here to tell you it is not about the punishment, matter of fact it is not punishment at all. Just feels like it.
Show me a coach and I will show you love. We do it because we love it. There is no other explanation for being a track coach. The road is thankless, hard, and unforgiving. Yet the results bring out the best in the human spirit. This is what drives coaches.
As for me, I was borne to coach. I love to know why things work, why people want them to work and what makes people tick. As I said I was born for this thing. The best times are the personal moments athlete and coach share, that connection that last beyond the finish line. You do not get these with everyone, but when you do make that connection, it is the best feeling in the world.
It dawned on me two seasons ago that the responsibility of coaching is tremendous. I did it because it was personally rewarding to me to have my athletes and friends out there winning and performing to their best. I was thinking one day and it hit me, the athletes I coach have entrusted me with their dreams. Think about that, you have a dream, something that is near and dear to your soul, and here you are trusting me to guide you to that very destination. That is heavy and something I am very grateful for.
Coaching is a complex adventure that involves all level of human development, and relationship. The highs are many and always out number the lows in coaching, believe it or not. I mean, who is to say gold is the only joy. I take joy in watching my people do something we were working on, or run a time even though they may have lost the race. Last year, I took joy in getting a no name hurdler to the semi finals at World's. No one else will take note of this or realize these small victories, but that is what coaches are for and take pride in.
Valencia is in 2 days, I can't wait.
2 comments:
I love this post. I think you must be an awesome coach to care about your athletes so much...and to realize the impact that your coaching has on their dreams is tremendous. It's a form of self-less work that gains a lot of satisfaction for you and the athlete. May God continue to bless you with the gift of punishing to polish!! =)
Thank you anonymous for those kind words. and thank you for the blessing. I like that, "Punish to polish."
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