Become aware that you are a role model and act accordingly. Part 3

"A good coach will make his players see what they can be
rather than what they are." - Ara Parasheghian

When I first began coaching I realized quickly that I had a lot of eyes on my, watching everything I did and listening to everything I said. I especially felt this was true at the high school level. My first day of practice, my first year out of college, I was amazed to have 20 pairs of eyes looking at me as the authority figure.

On more than one occasion I have said something flippantly, not thinking much about it, only to have a player repeat what I said back to me. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had the power to impact lives both positively and negatively.

During my four years of coaching I have worked hard to be a positive influence in people's lives. Tennis is such an individual game and one of my biggest tasks is to be a cheerleader for beginning players. A lot of what I do during matches is try to encourage players to help them believe in their abilities.

A tradition I started last year was to do a weekly devotional with my team. Each Monday we start out the school week with a devotional. This has been a good way for me to share my faith with players as well as to talk about issues that are more important than tennis. After 7 seasons of tennis, in 3 1/2 years I know the most important things that happen have nothing to do with wins and loses. The relationships developed are far more important than anything else.