For any sport it is typical to have multiple coaches. Some coaches you strongly dislike, and some that go above and beyond for their players. Unfortunately, some players have that one coach that makes the sport they once loved so much, miserable to play, leading them to quitting. Sure I had my fair share of coaches that negatively effected my sporting career, but I have also had a lot of good ones. The one who really changed the game for me in a positive light and the one I remember above all the others is Coach Peter.
Coach Peter was not like any of the coaches I or a good portion of the girls I played with have ever come into contact with. World Cup was not like many of the other travel teams across New England. We had two different uniforms, an all white one and the second was a red jersey and black shorts and socks. Whatever uniform we were wearing for that game we were suppose to have the other jersey in our bag just incase the opponent was wearing a color similar to ours. There was always that time of forgetfulness for each player, but Coach Peter was there to save the day. Didn’t have a jersey? Missing a sock? Lost a size 7 1/2 cleat? Need a hair tie? Coach Peter had it all in what seemed to be a magical backpack, didn’t matter what you forgot he more than likely had it. Not many coaches will come prepared x10 in the case their players forgot a piece of their equipment that could make them unable to play. You could say we were pretty privileged to have a coach that did.
For me, Coach Peter knew me as a player better than I knew myself at times. He recognized when I needed that extra boost in games and would yell “get on your horse Michelle, you have to join the race”. That saying has stayed with me even off the field. It’s a simple reminder to be giving it my all, all the time even when it gets hard. He was a coach that wanted me to thrive no matter if it was on the field or not. He pushed me beyond my limits but he also knew when I needed a breather. He was always upfront with me on what I needed to do to be a better player, but made sure he pointed out the things I was doing well. For some reason, I could not successfully tie my cleats without them coming undone 10 minutes into any practice or game. As the amazing coach he was, Coach Peter went out of his way tying my cleats for me. He had the magic touch that kept my cleats tied. Whenever anyone scored a goal he would buy us our favorite candy. As a coach he didn’t have to do these things, but he did and that’s what made him so different than any other coach.
Unfortunately, Coach Peter was taken from this world far too soon. However, his infectious love for the sport and positivity will remain in all the players he came into contact with. The picture below is just some of the girls and boys he coached throughout his coaching career.