When you’re growing up,
there’s usually a lot of pressure from your parents or friends to play sports. As fun as they sometimes are,
it can quickly turn into a chore if you’re stressed with other things, the team chemistry is off or if you’re
unhappy about your own sporting performance.
But sometimes one person can fix all of that: the coach.
A fun and dedicated coach knows how to help teammates become friends, help players reach their potential, and
lessen personal loads through providing rides to games and hanging out with players off-hours.
When I played baseball every summer growing up, I had gotten to a point where I felt like I was an awful
hitter and, while I was good at defence, the pressure always made me feel anxious. It wasn’t until I was
about 13, after playing for six years, that I had a coach who took me aside to work on hitting. By the end of
the season, I had hit my first homerun ever and had started getting on base consistently. In the seasons that
followed, I became one of the most complete players in the league — helping my teams as I won a league
championship in six consecutive seasons.
My defensive problems were also brilliantly solved: I was a catcher, and the coach started pairing catchers
with one pitcher exclusively, helping us create better relationships between us. Some of the pitchers I
played with became new friends, and some of the best friends I had on the team. Naturally, I felt much more
relaxed kneeling behind the plate.
The better we got, the more competitive we felt and the more fun we had. I felt more confident as a player
and a person. The memories are amazing. I catch myself daydreaming about the glory days of teenage baseball
almost daily.
It could have easily been years of forgettable summers if it weren’t for the coaching I started getting. Not
to mention, I could have easily missed half the games I played because my parents often weren’t home to give
me a ride to games — it was my coach who did.
So the moral of this story is, if you or your child has a good coach, thank him or her for being the great
person he or she is! It’s a major life commitment to be a good coach, and successfully managing a team of 14
or so kids or teenagers is an arduous task. There are coaches in leagues everywhere, and while they’re not
all great, many go under appreciated.
Additionally, if you think you have it in you to be a coach, become one! You could be the foundation of great
things, and be looked upon fondly for years after your kids stop playing (or move onto the big leagues!).
But, like getting a new pet, make sure you have the time and resources for it, because as cool as it sounds,
you have to take care of your team properly for it to be a positive experience.
When it does work out, I can’t imagine something more rewarding for everyone involved.•
