A Lesson Worth Repeting
Hello Mates,
Happy Saturday! I am off to a volleyball tournament for Gracie this weekend and was reminded of a lesson I thought worth repeating from last year’s season.
I sat in the Mountain Home Middle School gym, hot and stuffy from those dang masks the school was trying to suffocate me with lol, and observed this scene. I can see it and hear it clearly, now, a year later and it is worth it, if even ONE human reads this email and chooses to do a little better. Our team, is quite good. Ill say it, I am sure when we showed up, the other schools felt a bit of fear and defeat, because that team was full, of VERY good, very cute, very kind student athletes.
As we were easily, surpassing them every single play, I just saw the coach, (from the losing team) and 5 girls, be so mean and disgusted with one of their players and my heart just broke. She had a shank of a pass, then she tripped and fell into the net, a missed serve… I mean, it was so clearly a rough day for that little curly haired, strawberry blonde 8th grader.
Parents, coaches, it is so hard to be a student athlete. It to you, looks easy, I can see that clearly from the way you yell and coach from the sidelines—
But,
It isn't. it isn’t easy. Its remembering skills, its being in shape, its being mentally tough enough to focus, it is discipling your mind to compete.
It is not easy.
You will ruin these kids.
You will break their heart
You will teach them to not even try, to not even TRY ANYTHING.
You will push them into crap you don't want them in, if you can't let them learn in love, respect, and kindness.
Stop. Seriously. Stop and get a grip people. Love on these kids and stop being so damn mean in your facial expressions and your body language.
It is, after all---
JUST A DARN GAME!
And they're just kids, after all. At one time, at one point, this was all supposed to be fun. Don’t squeezed all the fun out of it
Friends, may we all lead the way we needed a leader. Whether you are a coach, an athlete, a parent, a referee, or a spectator—I hope that you will stop and think of this story about that young 8th grade girl, and aim to do a LITTLE better—because our kids deserve that.
Tell me, do you feel like parents, coaches and spectators will eventually ruin it to the point, no one plays? I worry about that sometimes.
Sports and other recreational activities help create leaders.
We need leaders running the world, wouldn’t you say?
Hey, I am here, I am always listening,
Trainer Teri
