I made a tough decision this week to step down as the Head Girl’s Basketball Coach at West Seattle High School. I have been in tears off and on since that day.
When I took over the program five years ago I wanted to bring change. The program had struggled over the years and there was no support. In fact, I had 4 uniforms and $4 to start that first season. I spent pre-season hunting down uniforms from graduates and putting together fundraisers to get the team equipped. My assistant coach and I, ended that first season with six players who brought in 3 wins in one of the toughest leagues in the state of Washington. The last five years have been challenging, but the girls and the coaches, have worked hard to help build the program, so that this year we had Varsity, Junior Varsity and JVC squads and seven coaches. The West Seattle Girl’s Basketball program now has three Metro Sound Division Titles, a Metro League Championship and they placed 6th in State, but most of all the players are a group of focused and caring young women who play with a lot of heart. And that’s why it brings me to tears when I think about my decision to leave, because I care about each and every one of them.
Change is hard.
However, just because a decision is difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s not the right decision. I had to look at what my family needed and make my decision based on that. As other coaches know, being a head coach at the high school level is not an easy job, and to be competitive, it’s damn close to a full-time job, and unfortunately a majority of the time is not spent coaching. As head coach you, of course coach, and are in charge of practices and games, but you are planner and organizer, fundraiser, accountant, travel agent, secretary, counselor, email correspondent, open-gym opener, summer league organizer, parent issue manager and summer camp coordinator, to name a few of the main tasks. Each, not that big of deal, but together they become time-consuming and I even forgot to mention the paperwork. So what I’m saying, is to coach basketball at the high school level and do it right, you must be in. (And not for the money, because, there is little of that.) It must be because you LOVE the game. And I was all in, and would never change that. Those five years mean the world to me, but I was ready for a change. And now that the program is strong and the girl’s believe in themselves, and the school and the community believe in them, and in what they can do, it was time for me to leave.
I know it can’t be easy for the girls, as I have coached some of them for their entire high school careers . However, though change is hard, it is not always bad. It’s a time to learn and grow and challenge oneself. For me, I plan to focus on family and writing and looking at opportunities to help my kids pay for college. For my former players (I still think of them as mine), it will be an opportunity for them to work with someone new, expand their basketball knowledge, help one another to continue to stay close and connected and tight as a team. And I know they can do it. My (did I just say MY again?) three-year juniors, will need to take the leadership roles that they are each so capable of and help the team to be strong again next year. Not only on the court as players and teammates, but off the court where they they will grow as young women.
And as they do, I will be cheering them on every step of the way!
