/ October 16, 2010

On Excellence.

Just another day at the office. Taken last year at Boston Garden during the run for the MA State Championship. (they won!)

October 15th marks the start of college basketball season.

This date is approached with much planning, late night strategeries and war-room pow wows. There are coaches all over America now texting and calling eachother to wish luck or lob playful challenges to their fellow coaches. There are well-attended (or in our case…attended) opening night festivities – with skits! All this for the first practice of the season. I can half hear the galloping steeds pulling the chariots into the colesseum..Let the games begin!

This is all new to Coach. Up until this year he has worked at the high school level where the beginning of the season is marked with out-of-shape teenagers returning from Thanksgiving break having eaten too much to fit into their warm-ups. Unceremoniously shuffling into the first few weeks of practice and then promptly going on Christmas holiday. Not that my husband doesn't run a tight ship…he does! The kids will never be in better shape the rest of their lives when he is done with them, it's just that it starts with more of a wimper than well, a galloping steed.

The point of all this is that I am missing it.

My trip to Morocco overlaps this launch and I am pretty bummed to miss the beginning of something so big for Coach. You see, he is an EXCELLENT coach. And by excellent, I mean it in the Miriam Webster sense;

–adjective

1.

possessing outstanding quality or superior merit; remarkably good.

—Synonyms
1.  worthy, estimable, choice, fine, first-rate, prime, admirable
 
yeah, all of those things. He has, in the 12 or so years he has been coaching affected so many young people's lives in such positive ways I cannot even begin to quantify it. He is that coach. The one that when you are older and thinking dreamily about your youth, you remember as one of the people who helped you become who you are. When you are giving your acceptance speech, you touch on his name for making you a better person and keeping you out of trouble… that kind. Oh yeah, and he teaches basketball too.
 
One of my favorite things is watching someone I love or care about be excellent at something. It is such a beautiful and important thing. To recognize and be recognized is what pushes us to do the things we do. Especially if the recognition is from someone important to us.
 
Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching him do lots of things…like get all mushy over Lucy, speak Italian or… take out the trash… but this is different. I know what it means to him. It is the thing that is most important to him to do well, and not just to win, but to better himself and the people he works with.
 
This is a new chapter for him. An exciting one, but challenging because it is so vastly different than what he has done before. I know he will be brilliant. I hope he does too, and I'm sorry I am missing the beginning.

3 responses to “On Excellence.”

  1. Except for the texting part (he can’t text to save his life, though it is entertaining to see him try) you hit it right on the head for my dad.  Oct. 15 is a big day every year at the O’Connor household!  Congrats and good luck to Rob on his new job.

    p.s. I am going to nag Tricia to get her stuff over to you!

  2. what a darling, tribute! i’m sure coach is glad to a deep place for your support and affection. so glad you’re blogging, leigh! what a treat for us curly girl addicts to get a better glimpse of your inspiration and wisdom. safe travels and let’s go team! 🙂
    xoxo
    stephanie alaine

  3. Thanks girls!
    Anna- I can only imagine the O’Connor family at this time of year.
    Thanks for following Stephanie!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Posts

{"cart_token":"","hash":"","cart_data":""}