My twin sister, Bethany, and I had a really nice pre-Father's Day dinner with my parents last night. After dinner we walked(I crutched) down 7th Street, and we ran into a few high school kids that knew my dad. They were excited to see him and exclaimed, "Hi COACH!" It was very obvious that these kids really appreciated the time they'd spent playing for and training with my dad, and they were sorry he was retiring. Although I didnt' know any of these kids I felt a natural connection with them because I knew exactly why they were upset. I too was fortunate enough to have been coached by my dad... my entire life.
I've had a lot of coaches throughout my sports career, but no one as good as my dad. He always has and always will live for coaching, and helping kids realize their athletic ability(no matter what skill level they start with). Though it was tough to be the son of the coach at times, I was the luckiest athlete in the world to have been mentored by my dad throughout my career. He was far from calm, and yelled when he felt he needed to(often), but no matter what happened he always put his players first. My friends who played on the "Storm" soccer team or "Rams" lacrosse team share a lot of stories about Coach LeSueur. There are a few stories that end with him being red carded, or asked to leave the field, but I can assure you that he was only protecting his players. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone approaches me to thank me and tell me what a positive influence my dad was on their sports career and life. For over thirty years he ran an amazing soccer camp which was like a breeding ground for most athletes in Garden City... first they were campers, then they became stars, and finally came back to be coaches.
My father is a great COACH, and his secret is simple. He coaches with PASSION. He has taught me many great lessons about sports and about life, but the most important think I have to thank him for is showing me the importance of playing with passion, and living with a passion.
So, whether you're a coach, a banker, doctor, lawyer, mom/dad, etc... Never forget to bring your passion to work, bring it home, and bring it to everything you do. Happy Father's Day Dad... Thanks Coach!
