Three words come to mind whenever I think of Coach Becky; caring, selfless and passionate.
Coach Becky cared tremendously for all of those in her life. As one of her throwers I saw it in our yearly dinners. She put so much time and effort into making a fantastic home cooked meal that most of us wouldn’t get until we were on break. There was by far no requirement or expectation that coaches needed to do that. Coach Becky did it because she truly cared for us and wanted our throwing team to be a true loving community.
It is impossible to think of just one selfless act of Coach Becky. Coach Becky would use her track stipend to supplement equipment needs for the team. Coach Becky would spend hours reviewing film trying to find the one thing that could make the athlete throw a bit further. Coach Becky would do whatever it took to help her athletes improve.
Finally, Coach Becky was extremely passionate about being the throws coach. She brought a tremendous amount of energy and excitement to practice everyday as if the next day we were set to compete in the Olympics. This passion rubbed off on the throwers as we tried to match that passion each and every practice and meet. Her passion was best seen when one of us reached a goal or set a new best. Coach Becky was truly excited and proud of her throwers.
I think the mark of a great coach is one that focuses on making the athlete a better person while pushing them to be the best athlete they can be. Coach Becky got the best out of her athletes because she cared about them, she put them ahead of her and truly loved that she got to coach every day. I try everyday to have these same qualities so one day I can make a fraction of the impact as she had on so many.
