All throughout High School, I was told, “Do your best” and “Never give up”. When I asked why, the answer I got most of the time was “So we can show our school is better than the others in the area”. Whether this was in sports, robotics, or a writing contest, very few mentors were actually concerned with the product so long as we came out on top. Now the few that would say, “Do it to better yourself rather than out do someone else” were the teachers that overall had better relationships with their students and ultimately had a higher salary.
Soccer has always been an important part of my life both physically and socially. Whether it was driving for hours early in the morning across the state of Michigan or finally getting home on a late Sunday night from a tournament, before high school I was considering playing in college until I started playing for my high school coach. While he played soccer in college and had a true passion for the game, he had little to zero ability to coach and sponsor a team of young men. He single handedly turned me off to the sport. From his “It’s only about being better than the other team” attitude to not liking me as a person, his individual vendetta ruined my love and passion for the sport–and from someone who’s job it is to inspire.
