I started volunteering to coach a Pop Warner football team when my uncle asked me to get involved. Pop Warner is a nonprofit organisation that gives young people the opportunity to be active in football, dancing, and cheerleading, among other activities, in an organized league. I loved the sport, and since I didn't have any children of my own yet, I knew it would give me the opportunity to work with kids. I liked the idea of doing something to help these eight-to ten-year-olds. Some of the kids didn't have the easiest family situations, so they really needed a worthwhile activity in their lives.
I never thought that I would get as much out of volunteering as I did. Take this story: One of our players had never stood out as a star. He sometimes played very well and always tried his hardest, but he just wasn't very consistent. One day I found out that when he was younger, he'd had a disability that prevented him from walking normally. I realized that he could have used this as an excuse for not doing so well on a given day, but he never did. His inconsistency, which may or may not have been a result of an ongoing struggle with this condition, didn't keep him from trying his best. I never did find out why he had his ups and downs as a player, but his example of never complaining or looking for sympathy inspired me then and has stayed with me ever since. In fact, he came back years later to volunteer as an assistant coach himself.
Of course, coaching football wasn't without its challenges. Not all the kids liked my coaching style. And sometimes I wondered, "Am I really making a difference?" When I thought about it, though, I knew that my services were valuable because coaching is essential to any team. I wasn't there to be popular, but to give these young players the structure and support they needed.
