Here is one that floated across my desk many times over the years!
Dear Coach,
I really think I want to quit racquetball. Everyone tells me I shouldn’t. What do you think?
Signed,
Lost the Fire,
Dear Lost Fire,
I received your message. You might be done with racquetball is what I took from your message.
As usual, I need to tell a story.
In 1979 I had my first junior national champions. Mike Levine was a player I had trained for four years, starting at zero when he learned to play. But he was not my first champion, because a few hours before his match a young lady (whose name is withheld here) was my first champion. Why am I telling you this?
Shortly after the nationals I got a phone call from her. She told me she was bored with racquetball and wanted to quit. She told me her coaches and her family all wanted her to stay in racquetball. She told me loved softball more. My response was a no-brainer.
“Then quit racquetball and play softball. If you truly love racquetball more than softball you can go back to racquetball or even do both as racquetball is a lifetime sport.”
Her response?
“You are the first person to tell me that. Everyone else wants me to stay playing racquetball because I have so much talent and can be maybe #1 in the world.”
I said, “Who do you play for? Yourself or others? What do you want? It is not about what I want, or anyone else wants, you make the choice.”
She said again, “I want to quit.”
“Then quit and go have fun!”
So she did and to my knowledge, never looked back.
Young athlete, you only have so many years and days of competing at the top of your abilities.
When you are an old geezer and your grandchildren ask you how good you were in your sport you can answer with a clear conscious that you went all in at …..(fill in the blank) sport or profession you chose. That is the only thing that counts.
Choose what is best for you, and what you want to do, not others.
Go get’em tigers!!