Dear Volunteer Coaches,
Thank you isn’t enough. I know you are also a busy parent doing the best you can do. I know you are tired. I know your baby is probably playing his/her first season of hoops too, but you chose to be on the court. You chose to show up.
You are amazing and we see you.
We see you giving our child a chance. We see your patience. We see your support. We see your willingness to learn drills for tiny humans who are so excited to have their time to shine.
I want to especially thank you as the momma of the child with special needs on your team. The parent of the boy who can make any shot from any place at home (seriously it’s amazing), but is really overwhelmed by a team sport. The child who struggled to handle the fit of the athletic gear, the squeaks of the shoes on the court, the cheers from the crowd, the buzzer, and the whistles.
The child who is a runner (not the back and forth as you are supposed to in basketball runner), the child who needed extra coaching, the child who needed his own terms, the child that might not ever understand the “team.”
You might not have experienced this type of child. You probably don’t have a degree in special education or a medical background, but you created a healthy and welcoming safe space for him. You gave him a shot literally, and when he was too overwhelmed and lost his composure it was your son without prompting who gave the ball back to him to score his first basket in a game. That didn’t go unnoticed.
You gave us this first and I wept. You see much like many things on this journey I had a different idea of how things would go versus reality. I did not realize how challenging this would be for something he truly loves at home, but we tried. It was nowhere near Michael Jordan sunshine and roses for us. In fact it was exhausting physically and emotionally draining, but you handled us with grace and empathy. In my book it was giant win and wins don’t come without good old fashioned sweat and tears.
For this we can’t thank you enough. Keep lighting the way for kids of all kinds to try. Keep being you because it is evident that you are raising little people who will make this world a more loving and inclusive place.
Thank you for telling us he is amazing and to keep coming back. Thank you for seeing us.
You are a gift. We will never forget you and the impact you made on our journey.
Lovingly,
Number 2s Mom