Have you ever had a coach that you can almost completely attribute your success in athletics?While most people can pick out one or two coaches that have made an impact in his or her life, most of those coaches are not middle school coaches.

I can honestly say that my middle school coach, Susan Hart, is where I obtained everything that I know and am capable of today.

While some people think of their middle school athletic days as merely “something to do” or “more like recreation sports,” my middle school athletic days were full of running, hard work and sometimes yelling because of mistakes.

Qualities such as never giving up, play until the whistle blows, learning exactly how far I can go without physically passing out and being confident in myself throughout the game and in life are simply some of the traits I learned at a young age from Coach Hart.

I can clearly remember a game I played in where I was pushed down and physically hurt on purpose by the other team. As I laid on the ground in pain, all I thought about was how I was going to get up and make my free throws because I knew how far I could go because of Coach Hart. I was not going to let an injury hold me back.

Coach Hart was used to coaching boys, so when it came to coaching girls, we truly were treated as “one of the guys.” She wouldn’t hold back from yelling and making us do drills over and over until we either got the point or did something right. I believe I needed this at such a young age because it has taught me to be tough.

Coach Hart could see a player’s capability and would not give up until he or she could also see it. She led me to see every capability in my life, including outside of sports.

After two years of travel basketball for Lady Pride and Southern Belles, I still doubted my capabilities because of other players that I saw. However, the push, drive and care I saw from her brought out not only my love for the game but also my talent in the game.

Outside the sporting arena, she would always make sure everything was going well with me as a person and in school, showing that she was not simply a coach but an all-around role model.

While some students acted as though they were scared of her, I could not have more respect for my coach who brought out everything I am today. It is because of her that I want to pursue a coaching career on the high school level while teaching English.

One person can influence the life of another, and I can truly say that Coach Hart had one of the biggest influences in my life. I could never be more grateful to have had Susan Hart for a coach. She has made me what I am today.