To my past and present coaches
This blog is an appreciation post to all my coaches, from 2014 till now, for being role models and great mentors in my life. Thanks to these people, I was able to keep being active while making friends and building a network. Being new to this country with a beginner level of English, I got to express myself through this multilingual activity which was sports.
Miss G. was my PE teacher in grade 9 and the first one to introduce me to a version of soccer that wasn’t just my brother and I versing each other. I remember when I first tried to get involved in my high school sports team, I was quiet, shy and lacked self-confidence. Not knowing any English, I mumbled that I played basketball and volleyball before moving from Haiti and asked if they had a team at the school. She informed me that unfortunately, tryouts were already over but still invited me to try out for the soccer team next semester. I can still remember counting the months and attentively listening to the announcements before lunch just so I wouldn’t miss it. I’m thankful that she encouraged me to participate. Due to this, I was able to come out of my comfort zone and try another sport which was wrestling.
The next academic year, I was in grade 10 and that was the year when they introduced wrestling to my school. I was quite intrigued because the only wrestling that I knew was the WWE but was in awe by the difference and that’s when I met Mr. J. even though I didn’t complete in my first year, I still went to practice every day until the season was over. During my first regional tournament, I remember hurting my knee during the first few seconds of the match and I was so upset because I didn’t get to showcase what I learned the year prior. It was only 3 competitors in the weight class so I eventually won bronze and I remember not wanting it and feeling like I didn’t deserve it, but after a long conversation and some tears, Mr. J made me realize that I did deserve it and maybe the others in the tournament didn’t get to see me perform but he saw how better I’ve gotten throughout the few months and my commitment to the sports. I went on to the city’s tournament, made it to OFSAA but chose not to attend. I was terrified of the unknown despite the encouragement of Mr. J.
That same summer, I joined the Beat the Streets wrestling summer camp and there, I met coach N., coach C., coach G., coach S. My thoughts were:” OMG new people, I’m going to have to talk to them, wow they’re so good, I’m going to embarrass myself.” The camp ended up being better than I expected, the coaches were patient, friendly, and didn’t mind breaking down the techniques to us. The next academic year, Coach N. became the wrestling coach at my school. He motivated me to start going to BTST practices after school to sharpen my skills and even took me to my first international competition. I really felt like one of those professional athletes that I would see on TV and that exposure is something that I would forever be grateful for. Before every match, coach N. would tell me to go out there and do me, he taught me not to linger on losses but rather work harder to not repeat the same mistakes.
The next academic year was my first year in university and I decided to join the university’s wrestling team. The team’s coaches were coach E, coach K. and coach S. and even though It was a small team compared to the other varsity teams at the school, I was immediately welcomed. The practices were different than what I was used to, but coach E used different motivational strategies which enabled us to maximize our full potential. He had a great sense of humor which lighten the mood during training and on our way to tournaments. Coach K conditioning practices were intense but at the end of every practice, you would feel accomplished.
Next year will be my fourth and last season on the team and I thought that I should let all my coaches know how thankful I am when it comes to the role, they played in shaping who I am today. I hope to keep on making them proud whether I continue wrestling or not after I graduate.
I’m sorry if I forgot someone, you all will forever have a special place in my heart.