Raghav Sharma Week #9 - How Coach's words can make a difference.
In sports, a coach's words are much more than just directions. They are tools that help make a good team. There have been times for me when the coach has said, " This is our moment, leave everything on the court." Leave everything? In that intense moment, the phrase " leave everything" is a call to give every ounce of effort, focus, to win that game. In my case, it was basketball. I've played basketball ever since I was a little boy, with that small "baby" hoop in my house, catching "lobs" from my brother. I enjoyed basketball thoroughly, but that wasn't the case until freshman year.
Before our freshman season, I played basketball in an outside league. I don't really like to brag about myself, but seriously, I was "the guy." I used to score 12+ points in almost every game, and we used to play 3 games on Saturday. That feeling of playing with your best friends by your side, scoring points and winning games, is memories which I will cherish forever. Something which made it even more enjoyable was the connection I had with my coach. Coach was more like an older brother to me, always encouraged us , and could be strict at some point, but that's only if you make him mad :). His words truly made an impact to us.
Freshman year basketball season came around, and I worked hard all summer, day and night, to get a spot on that team. I ended up getting on, but what would come next would be a shocker for me.
Our first game came around, and it was against Head Royce. I remember I didn't start that game, which was ok, because I thought I would get minutes later. I was wrong, I travelled an hour just to end up clapping my hands on the bench. Though I was upset, I supported my teammates, and encouraged them. The next game came around, and we ended up beating that team by 30+, but I didn't get minutes either. I built courage to ask my coach's after the game, what I was doing wrong. I would like to say, I tried my hardest in every practice, to earn minutes.
Then the words came out, " we have better players in this situation.". Hearing the coach say that stung, and it made me feel like my abilities weren't valued. It hurt because it felt my hard work weren't enough to earn a chance. I left politely, and worked hard even more. This isn't those types of stories where I ended up becoming a star later, I ended up sitting on the bench and with low minutes.
The last game came around, and I heard the words, " Leave everything on the court,", it struck me in a different way. But when those words came out, I couldn't help but feel frustrated, knowing that while the team was being urged to give everything, I wasn't even given the chance to be apart of it.
Raghav!! Hey whats up! So great to see you in my blog cohort this semester. Already loving this blog and I'm hyped to read the ones that follow. Just reading your story reminds me of my time in my volleyball club from sophomore year. I remember finding myself lost and afraid at times but always finding solace in the words of my coach who encouraged and believed in me from the bench all the way to place on the court. I feel that we all need people like these in our lives, whether it be a mentor, a parent, a friend, a loved one, and a coach. We all need someone that can believe in us, all it takes is just a few words...
ReplyDeleteHi Raghav! I completely agree with you pn when you said that a coaches words are like tools that can make a good team. Just like you, I have played basketball ever since I was a little boy, and my skill set has truly developed throughout the years. In addition I also used to play in a outside league, and there my team had won a few tournaments. My coach on my old basketball team was also like an brother to me, he had always cared for me whenever I used to get hurt, or even at times when I was struggling with personal issues. My coach was always there to keep my head up. There would be times were he would get mad at me, but most of the time he had the right to get mad because of a dumb mistake that I might have made.
ReplyDeleteHey Raghav! I found your blog really relatable, and I have to commend you for being so open about your struggles with getting play time in games. It’s not easy to talk about the lowlights and failures, but through reading your blog I can tell you’ve learned a lot from your time on the team and showed a lot of maturity. Your statement about your coach being like an older brother also resonated with me, because I feel like we don’t give coaches the recognition that they deserve. As strict as they are, in the end, coaches just want to see you be your best self, so whenever you don’t get the recognition you feel you deserve, it can be really demoralizing, as if your efforts are all for nothing. But I guess that’s just the beauty of sports.
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