I Tip My Hat to My Coaches

This past week, I’ve shared how I had changed my way of thinking from a negative mindset to a positive on in order to perform better on beam in meets. While the transformation was internal and my own, I still had feedback from my coaches that was vital to my success.

My club coaches believed in me. This I would never doubt. They taught me my skills, and they believed that I could compete them. They were pulling for me every step of the way. This wasn’t because they wanted the notoriety that came with a successful level 10 gymnast; they wanted me to succeed because they genuinely wanted me to reap the rewards of my hard work. They cared about me more than as a gymnast on their team, but as an individual.

My college coaches believed in me. They helped me tweak my routines to highlight my strengths and unique capabilities. They wanted me to be successful for the team. But in order for me to do that, they helped me by believing in my success as an individual.

I’ll never forget my beam coach my senior year in college, Tracey. She was so instrumental in my developing belief in myself as a beam competitor. In college, it’s not just about the individual anymore, it’s about the team. I was hesitant about competing for my team, because I didn’t want to let everyone down. Tracey helped me by showing me that she believed that I could take that step and perform for my team. She gave me that nudge from being tentative to being brave.

I gave my coaches many reasons over the years to doubt me. They could have easily given up on me and moved on to the next best option. However, I was so fortunate to have coaches that never gave up on me, who saw the potential in me, and didn’t allow me to give up on myself in the process.

To them, I am forever grateful, because without them, I wouldn’t have the life I have today.

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