Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend the Granada Gala, a huge fundraising event put on by Granada Land and Cattle Company in Houston, Texas. Hosting the event was the old TV comedian Red Skelton. He told a story that night that made a huge impact on my life. On one of his many flights, Red started a conversation with the gentleman sitting next to him on the plane. He asked the gentleman what he did for a living. The gentleman replied that he had just retired from a successful business. The two visited for a while then Red asked what the man was planning to do in his retirement. The man said that he was finally going to enjoy life. Red looked at the man and told him how sorry he was for him. "Sorry," the man said, "for what?" Because he did not enjoy the first sixty years of his life. From that point on I look at my life and the work I do in a totally different light. It is an insight that I keep in mind every day as I work with the Lake Land College Softball team.
Being a two-year college we turn over half our team every year, which makes for interesting and exciting new experiences, unique to each team. As we start off the 2009-2010 softball season, I will be watching our softball players deal with the stresses of studying through the wee hours of the night, performing all the daily activities that mom and dad used to do (laundry, grocery shopping, housekeeping, getting themselves up and out of bed every morning etc.), keeping up with their responsibility to the softball team, and suffering through occasional home sickness. We see the players start their college experience with their eyes wide open and their heads spinning. As coaches, at some point we find ourselves as teacher, priest, parent, and friend. But as time goes by we see our players becoming more adapted to their new surroundings, new friends and most importantly, conquering the most difficult task of time management. We coaches get to see these players earn a high quality education, meet new life long friends and gain those experiences needed to develop and grow into successful, hard working young adults. Watching our young athlete’s progress as they go through the first years of college is exhilarating to say the least.
Sure, there are some aspects of coaching that are less exciting, like helping players through injuries and sicknesses, sitting through three hours of study table each night, long bus rides to Florida, Arkansas and Alabama, and the continuous quest to obtain additional funding necessary to run a top collegiate softball program we are so proud of here at Lake Land. Yes, there are rumors that Coach Birk and I are known to still be at the office at 1:00 a.m or sometimes get into the office as earlier as 4:30 a.m. to start our day. Can you imagine having a job so satisfying and enjoyable that you cannot wait to go to bed so you can get up for work the next day? We do. I can truly say, without question that coaches have one of the greatest jobs in the world and yes, we are truly enjoying the first sixty years of our lives.
Always play to win,
Coach Nelson
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