Thought of the Moment

The reward of being strength and conditioning coach


There aren’t many professions out there where you can have a profound impact on a kid’s life that lives 3000 miles away... Here’s a quick story that will explain.

 

I woke up to a text message from my big sister saying she is substitute teaching a 12th grade anatomy physiology class. She was supposed to lecture on hormones, and for any of you that might know my sister, she does not resemble a science teacher in anyway. Since I love anatomy and physiology, I responded to her text with a 4 page message describing how people become diabetic, and how important it is for them to all exercise and eat right. Her response was thanks, they loved it. Many of you don't know I have another job besides being a strength coach. I work as an exercise physiologist for the Navy. One of my sister’s students suggested I should be doing core work with the marines to make them stronger. The students name was Daryian, who happens to be a track stud.

I got to base today and found an email from Daryian asking if I could help him have a stronger core. After hearing his own definition of the core, I found I had an opportunity to share some info with a younger athlete. There was no hesitation to help.  A few emails later he has a better definition of core strength, a list of exercises that will help make him faster (and strengthen his core), and an exercise program to make sure he gets the best out of his training.

You can’t always put a price on the knowledge that you have. In life, you can find yourself in a situation that just feels right. You find that you can have a profound impact on an athlete’s life by just going a little out of your way. As a strength coach, your impact on a life far outweighs money you can earn. Yes, we need to make money, but as a strength and conditioning coach, our role in the lives of our athletes is greater than we could ever imagine. The way we treat one athlete is often passed on to fellow athletes, and their parents. It’s important to remember that most of us will not pull in millions of dollars. But each and every one of us will certainly have a direct impact on the lives of every single athlete we work with. With that said, always go out of your way to see one of your athletes perform; there’s nothing like seeing hard work payoff. Always be there for your athlete. Let your athletes know that you care about them. And don’t be afraid to go above and beyond of the job description of “strength and conditioning coach”.  We are role models, we are brothers, and we are friends.

With this in mind we feel it is time to move into our own facility, a place that we can truly call OUR home. We know each athlete that comes in will play a role to shape the facility into something great.