The Facility at Crenshaw

This resonates with me deeply, as a former elite athlete now in my mid-40s, I feel every word because I’ve lived it. I know exactly what those voices sound like. I know the exhausting chase for validation all too well. It wasn’t until after my collegiate career, well into my 20s as a professional athlete, that I finally learned what it meant to fight for myself. To speak to myself the way I would want others to speak to me. To see failure as a chance to grow. To place value not on outcomes, but on the grind, the daily work, and the controllables. It took me half my life and career to stop battling myself. Half my life. That experience drives me every single day as a coach. I work relentlessly to teach my players to develop this side of the game early, because it’s one of the hardest, but most crucial, lessons to learn. If I can give them the tools and mindset I wish I had sooner, maybe, just maybe, they’ll reach their full potential faster than I did. Maybe they’ll learn that their worth isn’t tied to wins, stats, or external validation, but to the knowledge that they gave their best, every day. If I can help even a few of my players understand that their confidence and self-worth come from within, then I’ll know I’ve accomplished the mission I set out to achieve. Coaching youth athletes is hard, but it’s a calling I will never regret. 💚