I definitely have my moments with my job where I don't like it or look forward to it at all. Some of those moments turn into several days or weeks in a row, but then God brings me a little moment to cherish where He reminds me, through my kids, why He has me coaching swimming to 7-12 yr olds at this point in my life. So, here are some examples of those little things which become constant reminders that my job is more than something that 'barely' pays the bills, it's a chance to forever leave an impact on a child's life...
1) Before each practice, I get my kids together for 15-30 minutes to do "Drylands." Now, if you have never been a swimmer, you probably don't know exactly what that word means. Well, for younger swimmers, it means warming up out of the water through running, calisthenics, abs, etc. But, the majority of the time, I just play games with my groups. So, one evening, I was taking my older group outside for dryland, and it was one of those crazy Charlotte weather days that starts warm and sunny, but ends cold and snowy (yes, that really happens here). We were playing basketball and the temperature had to drop at least 30 degrees in the course of 20 min, but the worst part was that it began to snow. Well, I told my kids we needed to go inside because, quite frankly, I was freezing! Of course they answered with whines and objections to ending their basketball game before it was time to. Despite all my efforts to stand firm, I just couldn't, and here's why - after I admitted to them that I wanted to go in because I was cold, all 20 or so of them ran and formed a circle around me, wrapped their arms around me and said, "Keep her warm! Keep her warm! Coach Laura Beth, if we warm you up, can we please stay out and play?" At that point, I didn't even care that I was surrounded by 25 sweaty, smelly kids; I was so caught up in the moment and they just melted my heart!
2) On a different occasion, I was outside with my younger group (7-10). This group has dryland after practice because of lack of lane space. So, back when it was really warm, I took them outside while they still had their suits on. Well, not long after we started playing, one of my little girls came to me and asked if she could go to the bathroom. We only had a few minutes left, so I asked her if she could hold it, and she said yes. We finished our dryland and I sent the kids back inside to get their stuff. As everyone got I up, I realized the little girl that had asked to used the bathroom was still sitting on the concrete. She looked up at me and said, "Um, Coach Laura Beth....I accidently went." She slowly stood up and where she had been sitting was a large wet spot. Ooops! I felt so bad, but I have to admit, it was pretty funny!
3) Just the other day, one of my kids returned to practice after being gone for a few weeks. His mom had informed me that he would be missing practice due to a minor surgery he was having. So, the day he came back to practice, he walked up to me and said very seriously, "Coach Laura Beth, I couldn't practice for a couple of weeks because I had my asteroids taken out." I paused for a minute and wondered if I had misunderstood him, but then I realized he had meant his "adenoids"! Kids say the darnest things!
4)I have been told on far too many occasions that I don't look much older than my kids. I know it's considered a compliment when someone thinks you are younger than you really are, but it's actually an insult when people can't pick me a part from kids who are no older than 12. And, it doesn't help when half of the 12 yr old boys in my group are the same height or taller than I am. One day at practice, I was talking to one of my girls and she said, "You know Coach Laura Beth - you don't even look like your 21...you look 17 or 18, but I'm saying that as a compliment!" I know she was trying to be sweet, but I said,"Well, thanks, but I'm actually not 21; I'm 24." And, of course, she didn't believe me...
5)At our end-of-the-season state champ meet last month, I wrote each of my kids a note of encouragement with a quote or Bible verse that I felt fit perfectly for the type of person they are. Little did I know, I would be getting a note of encouragement from one of my swimmers...it made my whole year. One of my older girls got me a thank you card that said, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me become a better swimmer and a stronger person. You are the best coach I have ever had because you make it a point to connect with each one of us; you push us to become faster, but you still let us have fun; you are my coach and my friend at the same time; and, the best part of all is that you are younger than all the other coaches!"
Little did I know that the same kids God placed in my life for me to impact would end up leaving a bigger impact on me...
1 comment:
i love reading about your job. we didn't get a chance to talk much about it when you were here. such ute stories about your kids!
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