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I am an English teacher, and sometimes I must write things out. Back in November, when I was finishing up my Master's degree, I was really looking forward to the newfound time off where I could just relax and focus on teaching. Then, I had the great idea of volunteering to help with the JV basketball team because I missed my grade 9 students who are now in grade 10, and I thought it would be fun to support them. It has been the best few months. I wanted to just quickly share some thanks as our season finished up this evening in a tough-fought game where we came up a little short. So here goes.
Boys, thanks for letting me hang out and be your "water coach". I really appreciated the laughs. You are an incredible group of kids who demonstrated so much dedication to this sport you clearly love. I was often in awe of the leadership qualities you demonstrated at young ages; the kindness and support you often (not always) showed each other was equally impressive. Getting to help with whatever you needed was a real honour, and I most certainly would not have done it for any other group, haha.
Parents, thanks for all the support. Thank you for trusting us with your kids. I am confident I learned more from them than they did from me. They were always great representatives of your families, and you should be proud of how they always carried themselves, even in challenging moments.
Fellow coaches, Mik, Jeff, and Greg, thanks for teaching me more about basketball so I am not just a raving lunatic who yells foul like the LCI parents section. Mik, I am not sure I have worked with someone in a coaching setting (outside my dad) who has demonstrated so effortlessly the care and investment you had in your players as people. Jeff, you are a fountain of knowledge, and I still plan to have "Remember what coach Jeff said" shirts made. Greg, thanks for teaching me the ways of the score clock. I can never live up to your legend status, but I held my own.
Finally, Julie, Thanks for letting me have the most fun I have had in years and supporting the boys, too. Wives of coaches put in a lot of work, too. The other day, one of the boys called Julie the team mom. I joked that it would warm her heart to hear that; it did.
I give everything to teaching, and sometimes, the battery is so low. This has been busy and hard, but it has brought joy to my day that I am really going to miss. Thank you again, boys, for the last few months. I am incredibly proud of all of you.
-Mr.G
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