"Whatever a leader does now sets up what he does later. And there's always a later."- Coach K
While I am more of a Roy Williams and Tarheels fan and its very hard to use a quote from Duke's very own Coach K it seemed pretty fitting for this post. Regardless of your ACC preference Coach K will always be one of the most influential coaches of all time.
You may be asking did I use the right sport in the title. Why yes I did. I'm getting to the connection. Hibdon and I have a common bond with our upbringing. Hibdon had an amazing man in his life, his dad. Baby H will call him Gpa. Gpa is not only a remarkable husband, father and father-in-law, he's also been a key factor in mentoring many young kids in the Barnsdall community. Gpa has spent the past 20+ years as an elementary wrestling coach. He has the perfect amount of patience, encouragement and sternness to keep a room full of 6-12 year olds engaged and inspired to be the best wrestler on the mat.
I also had an amazing coach in my life. I call him Daddy, I believe Baby H will call him Papa. Papa coached everything basketball, football, baseball, softball and for all age groups. If Big Brother and I were playing it, he was on the sideline. He even received Oklahoma awards for the time he served as a junior high basketball coach. He was great at motivating us to be the best and challenging us to use our brains, think smarter than your opponent. No matter what game it was and whether he was sitting in the head or assistant coaches seat he would know my stats at any given moment. He loved the sport and had a heart for those kids that didn't have the same support I did.
Being a coach's kid gives Hibdon and I a special bond. We understand the pressures of a last name. We know what its like to walk into a gym and people automatically know who you are. Not your name, just that you're the coach's kid. While Hibdon felt the pressures to perform on the mat more than I did in the gym, we still had the additional pressures of the older sibling. Big Brother dominated every sport he tried and Aubber-Dobber made red dirt look pretty.
There's something else about being a coaches kid, you are raised in a gym. There's always a game or tournament. There's something about being raised in the gym. Something about the smells, sounds and people. There's such a strong feeling of community. While Papa didn't own Gilbert's Fieldhouse and Gpa didn't own the weight room. They felt like ours, we had our own keys. Being a coach's kid we had first hand experience of what it means to be a leader. It became natural for us to lead, maybe expected. I think this is a trait we take personal and continue to use it. Hopefully, we can lead our child the same way.
I say all of this because tonight Hibdon went to Barnsdall Elementary Wrestling practice. He went to help Gpa and enjoy their kind of quality time. I love that for him. Not everyone can have those memories. While it makes me sad at times that Hibdon nor I are coaches and Baby H won't know exactly how it feels. I would imagine that Hibdon will get as close as he can. Baby H will know what it feels like to have the biggest fan. I LOVE a good sport to cheer for, I LOVE the excitement of a good game, and I will LOVE watching Baby H in whatever activity he/she chooses. The reoccurring text message between Hibdon and I is, we will have a wrestler or cheerleader. Either way Baby H will have several coaches and several BIG fans.
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