You know what they say "Opposites attract", My parents were no exception on the surface but now that I am older and have taken a different look they do share many of the same values.
My Mom: She's a lexicon-loving linguist, a word-wizard wielding wisdom with her wand of wit, and a syllable-slinging savant! (That took me so long but I know it would make her smile.) She is an English teacher and will spend hours excitedly explaining to me the difference between understanding this one tiny part of English and just being able to do it once. She rewrote how English was taught at her school and switched to a "skills-based grading" system. She is incredibly educated and continues her education on her own honing her teaching skills daily. Her classroom is packed to the brim with books, earning her some puzzled looks from colleagues. But she just shrugs and says, "In a world filled with words, can there ever truly be too many books?" With a twinkle in her eye, she continues to share her love of literature with her students, one page-turner at a time. All this to say she is incredibly smart and loves to learn... as long as it's about words or people. There are some things she isn't too great at, most obviously math! She absolutely hates math and in fact, avoids doing any math that can't be done on the calculator on her phone. By the time I was in middle school, I could no longer ask her for help with math homework that is where my dad came in.
My Dad: He is a math geek who may not be able to communicate everything he is thinking but understands math like no other. He's a numerical ninja, a calculus connoisseur, and a coding champion with a masterful mind for statistics. With his love for numbers and an insatiable curiosity for mathematical intricacies, he navigates the world of equations and algorithms with the finesse of a maestro conducting a symphony. He has worked with data for as long as I can remember. One evening, I wandered into my dad's office and found him immersed in his work. With a nonchalant expression, he coded pages of math equations, effortlessly pulling data from tables to create graphs. It was fascinating to see what he had done, seeing firsthand how his mastery of numbers brought data to life before my eyes. ultimately, He is the math guy in the house but never seemed to have my Mothers's appreciation for writing or creative thinking.
Hopefully, till now you have gathered how to a young child they could seem like polar opposites. It is now that I have looked at what path I wanted to follow as an adult that I have come to realize how many similarities they shared. The one I would like to focus on is their passion to share and teach their special interests; this passion was passed on to me and I use it daily in my drive to learn more about cheer and how to better teach my athletes. My mom took the time to learn how to break down her understanding of English and love for books and share that with her students in a way that is as efficient and long-lasting as possible. Hearing her talk about how this one kid learned to love reading because of her teaching is inspiring and she lights up every time! My Dad is no different although I am not so sure he realizes it yet. When I was in school and learning statistics I hated the class; When I would get home and mention what I was learning he would light up and talk about why it was important, what you could do with that math, and why it worked. It felt like lecturing at the time but now I realize he was trying to share something that he fell in love with!
This look at my parents and how they both love sharing the things they love helped me realize that as a coach that's really all I was doing. I am trying to share the thing that I love with others and in so I want to always keep in mind that teaching these athletes to love how their bodies work and all the amazing things they're capable of is more important than so much else. It is more important than this one competition, it is more important than them getting the next skill in the progression, and it is more important than them achieving whatever arbitrary goal I placed for them. Sometimes I'm not coaching someone to be the best cheerleader they can be, sometimes I am just teaching them to love what they can do!
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