“I want to give back to the sport that gave so much to me.”
This is the common refrain among the amazing coaches I have interviewed, observed, and learned from in my quest to develop training programs for volunteer coaches who do not have time for a full-time education in sports.
For me, running is a tool that God used in my life to bring me through the death of my four-year-old brother (who would have turned 29 this week); it was my life-line to my savior and myself through long days of all the monotonous tasks of managing babies and toddlers. In addition, running connected me to life-mentors, whom I would not have had a connection with any other way. We could chat for a two-hour run early on a Saturday morning and then spend another hour or two wrapping up our conversations about life and family as we stood around our cars at that day’s finish line. The raw emotion of gutting out fast 400’s, the feeling of pounding the pavement alone until you cannot physically stand, the rush of the wind and rain in your face and knowing that most likely, no one else is crazy enough to be out running in this weather is, at times, potent therapy. But truly, my greatest joys in sports have been the relationships – the people that running has connected me with. Movement is a gift. Being outside in the sunshine (as well as all the other elements) is a gift. So, yes, I hold the same thoughts as those amazing coaches and that common refrain:
“I want to give back to the sport that gave so much to me.”
Good news for parents: Sports are an excellent tool you can use to develop each and every one of your children. I’m not talking about using sports to get a college scholarship, to win medals, or to become a pro. I’m talking about using sports to empower the next generation with a tool that can keep them healthy within the limits of the body they have been given, that can keep them connected to their community. Every athlete – every child, every person (even mom and dad!) can benefit from that, regardless of their skill level.
In the meantime, if you want to chat more about using sport as a tool in developing your children or anything else on your mind, contact me!
~ Coach Doss
