Coaching A Life

I am about 3/4 of the way through my first season of coaching middle school cross country. I have wanted to coach for a long time, but finally the right timing and opportunity came along and I am thankful. It's been such a great fit for me. 

Thank goodness for middle schoolers because they are awesome human beings. I may have had some preconceived notions about middle school kids before I started coaching, but they have changed. They are funny and witty and crazy and loving. They aren't cynical because childhood was just yesterday and yet they are engaged in conversations and growing up because adulthood is tomorrow. They aren't stuck in some weird middle ground though. They are learning leadership and compassion and their impact; as a result, they soak in everything. Yet, they are unabashed and eager to play and be silly because they still have a lot of kid-ness left. They are awesome. And adults should learn a lot from them.

I was recently blessed with hearing Sue Ramsey speak at at dinner for mentors. She is an amazing woman and coach whose whole demeanor exudes passion for what she does. She coached Ashland University women's basketball for over 20 years and has had a huge impact not only on AU women's basketball, but on women's sports in general. Many things hit me when she spoke that night, but one thing that stood out was the tremendous impact a coach has on their team. Studies have shown that, aside from a child's parent's, a coach can have the greatest impact on a child's life. 

Running is a sport that is filled with life lessons. It's amazing to be in a unique opportunity to help guide and teach kids, not only how to run and run strong, but also the qualities within running that parallel living a life that is powerful and positive and impactful. That everyday, they make a decision on how they will affect the world and running is a tool for that.

Sue quoted a great guy several times that evening and this was my favorite...

"Today I shall behave, as if this is the day I will be remembered."  

~Dr. Suess

I love this, not because it's about behaving, but because it's about living. It's about running and encouraging and leading and caring. It's the culmination of what cross country is and also my desire that the kids on our team have lives that are changed for the good because they ran on a team. 

I am learning a lot from them and I hope I'm teaching some things. I'm not a coach who is well-read on the latest running programs or super knowledgeable on technique and workouts. I'm simply here to give what I know from some experience and encourage them to keep pushing. I find myself incredibly emotional on race days. I yell good things at them with all I have, and am determined to encourage every single one at some point within the span of the race. My nervousness is not because my team are the ones racing for the top trophies, but because I want every girl to feel that sense of achievement and satisfaction at the end of a week's hard work. (The boys are getting the trophies, though, and THAT is cool!)

My own running intensity and racing have been sidelined due to time and mainly some physical problems I've been struggling with. My shoes are entirely too clean for my liking. I run daily with the team, however and I love that. It's been so cool to see how The Lord has easily replaced a desire for personal victories with eagerness and excitement for the victories of these kiddos. Everything has it's season, but I am thankful that my heart hasn't been muted to hear the calling of God to focus my full on motivating a team to compete rather than be sad because I am not. The satisfaction is multiplied too.  I am so thankful that The Lord has weighed the balance for me. 

Once I read an article in which Sue Ramsey was interviewed about the success of her team. I wrote down the quote because I thought it was a beautiful picture of what the goal of a team should be...

"Esteeming others as better than myself. The fruit of repentance. The attitude which rejoices in the success of others. The freedom from having to be right. The foundation of unity. The mark of authenticity. The fruit of brokenness. The qualities which catch the attention of God."

~Sue Ramsey

Middle school kids have a lot of learning to do...but, so do all humans. And probably, cross country is just a small piece of helping a kid grow into a great adult and I'm more passionate about it than is necessary. But, as most runners know, the lessons learned through running, very closely parallel the lessons we need to learn in our life. Lessons of perseverance, compassion, hard work, pushing through pain, encouragement, leadership, joy for the successes others. These things are like gold coins in our pockets when we learn them.  It feels like a privilege in being the presenter of such things to young hearts. I will for sure, miss my little family of 47 kids in a few weeks, because I have seen method in the madness.