‘So you want to be a coach?’ It is a question I often jokingly ask coaches on our staff when we find ourselves dealing with crazy issues or our way too busy lives. It is 10:00 pm on a Sunday night and I just experienced a weekend that made that question come to my mind. My personal and professional lives intertwined me in a long weekend. It all got started Friday night as our men’s basketball team played East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. It was a great experience for our team, playing a Division I Conference USA opponent in front of a huge crowd on opening night. Don’t be fooled by the final score, ECU scored the final 12 points of the game in the last three minutes to make the score lopsided but they got all they wanted from the tiny Division II Fleet in the game’s first 37 minutes. The game lasted until after 10:00 pm so our team left Greenville at 10:20 pm, arriving back in Due West at 4:30 am.
I got to bed at 5:30 am and was up at 8:00 am to attend my daughter Hope’s district championship soccer game in Seneca, SC. Despite losing, I was a proud dad watching Hope play with the Abbeville All-Stars boys’ team. She wasn’t excited about the loss or the runner-up trophy with a boy on it, but it was an awesome experience. We made it back to Due West at 2:00 pm to give me time to get a 30 minute nap before heading to basketball practice. Our practiced lasted until 5:00 pm. Within an hour, Hope and I were in our car headed to Charlotte. My mom spent the last few days in the hospital and although reports were that she was fine, I had to see for myself. We drove to the wrong hospital before finally getting it right and seeing my mom at 9:30 pm. We made it to my parents’ house late in the night with plans of staying in bed for a while on Sunday morning. My body didn’t get the plan and my back started screaming at 7:00 am, probably some repercussions from being on a bus for 13 hours on Friday. Hope and I went to see my mom at the hospital on Sunday morning (as she was being released!) before departing to Banner Elk, NC to watch our women’s volleyball team play in the conference championship against Lees-McRae. Despite losing to the Bobcats, our volleyball team had an incredible season of which we are extremely proud. I know the empty feeling they had after Sunday’s loss but that will soon be washed away with great feelings about the season. Hope and I left Banner Elk just before 4:00 pm on our way back to Due West. We ran into a load of traffic on I-85 so ended up taking more back roads than usual before pulling in our driveway at 8:00 pm.
So here I am, over 1500 miles in a bus and car, 3 very tough sports losses, a recovering mom, numerous hours of quality time with my daughter, way too much fast food, and legs that can’t get anymore stiff. I ask “so you want to be a coach/administrator?” Other than being away from my wife and boys for the weekend I would have to say a resounding “yes.” I got to witness three competitive athletic events that didn’t turn out the way I wanted but nonetheless all the travels were well worth it. I am tired from thinking about this weekend but this way of life is truly what I signed up for. Maybe I can do it all again next weekend. First though I think I will take two aspirin and try to get some sleep.
