Recently, I’ve had two occasions where I wished I
could have done more for a gymnast of mine.
The cases for these two girls are similar. The relationships went deeper than just
coach/gymnast and were layered with siblings and parents. Good families, military, both Fathers
officers in the U. S. Air Force. In both
cases, circumstances were governed partially by injuries. In both cases, I came away feeling as the
beneficiary of our relationship. If I
was an accountant, I would say that the credits and debits didn’t balance out
in either case, and that I came out ahead in both instances.
One of these girls is leaving the sport. Injuries not necessarily due to gymnastics
but compounded by training have finally reached a point where it’s time to
stop. Maybe, in time, she will be able
to return. That’s still an unknown at
this point. If the only factors in this
decision were grit and determination, I would expect her to walk through the
door sometime in the next several months.
Unfortunately, there are other factors that have a higher priority (as
they should).
The other gymnast’s Father was re-assigned a few
months ago and the family moved to another state and another gym (as military
families quite often do). This gymnast
came to us after a shortened season, due to injury, with her team in Hawaii,
where the family was previously stationed.
She had a complete season with us and made tremendous progress. In her second season on our team she was peaking
at precisely the right time. After
scoring over 38 all around in early March, landing on the edge of a skill
cushion took her out of the state meet only two weeks later. The injury required surgery and the following
season was in jeopardy. To make a long
story short, SHE made the season happen and was a key player in her team’s
victory at that year’s state meet.
Like most coaches, I spend a lot of time thinking
about my gymnasts. I know stories similar
to these happen all the time, but these two seem to be on my mind a lot. Perhaps because I wished I could have done
more for these two gymnasts and now the opportunity has passed. Perhaps because I still wonder how, after
being dealt the hands they were dealt, they came through smiling and
happy. Don’t get me wrong, accepting
their fate was tough. Persisting through
a second comeback from injury in one case and persisting against an immovable
opponent in the other case created some heart wrenching moments. But through it all, they have become young
ladies who most parents would like to have their children look up to as role
models.
As I’ve thought more about this, I’ve come to realize
these two gymnasts are living examples of the old saying “the apple doesn’t
fall far from the tree.” The words
honor, integrity, service, commitment, courage, resolution, honesty and
excellence are words that get thrown around a lot in the sports community,
their meanings becoming diluted due to over-use or misuse. But,
these same words are the FOUNDATION of the military spirit. For these families, they aren’t just words on
a poster or a coffee cup. Their meanings
are taught and modeled by the Fathers/Officers, their wives and their
children. These words aren’t simply part
of their vocabulary they are a way of life.
I’ve always believed a coach’s job is to give. What I gained from these families involvement
with my gym is more than I will ever be able to give back. I wish I could have given more, but I’ve
accepted the fact that in these cases I’m the receiver, not the giver. And, for that, I am thankful.
