I Loved You Enough

By Wayne Walters

Some day when my players are old enough to understand the logic that motivates coaches, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to worry where you were going after late practice, and with whom and how much sleep and study time I left you.

I loved you enough to insist that you take personal responsibility for your actions instead of letting you make excuses.

I loved you enough to be silent and let teammates workout the differences between themselves and discover how much we really needed each other.

I loved you enough to tell you what we needed from you to be successful and to be disappointed when you did not deliver.

I loved you enough to pick you up and emotionally carry you when the times were toughest and bring you back to reality when you though that you were a little better than what you were.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Players must learn that coaches are human and not perfect.

But, most of all, I loved you enough to do what needed to be done to build your character and the character of your teammates even though I knew you would curse me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I am glad we won them, because in the end those are the most cherished victories.