By Coach Alexander Hill "LSI"
Personal Testimony

"There is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you are fighting for.”
                                                                                                                 - Paulo Coelho

At a very young age I learned some things of Struggles. Perhaps; the most important thing I've learned was how to find purpose in them. Struggles are in service to increase our faith. Teaching us that failure is never fatal, but the opportunity to more intelligently begin. It indicts us, challenging who we are and in the end its purpose is to help and remind us all to understand that each one of us is responsible for the destiny we create in our lives ..... as well as the destiny we choose.

As for me I've made many choices in my life, that if not for any other purpose they would shape my destiny. I guess I stayed hoping that it would be in those moments of decision that I would find my own purpose and by no other sensible reason, my destiny. But life has a way of teaching us what to pay attention to. Cause It seems I seldom end up where I want to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.

If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would one day Coach Track & Field, I would have certainly bet against it. Not that I thought it was impossible, but because my life was on another path. But I've found there's always a moment in life where the road bends and offers us a change of direction. Its when I decided that its not the path we take, but instead the comfort in knowing where that path is going to lead us.

Track & Field is the path I've been on for the past 4 years and arguably it is that one thing that has chosen me! Charging me to step up and accept some responsibilities in exchange for finding strength and happiness in giving to life what can only come through me. Given my history the wonder is not that track has chosen me, but that it would use me to make a difference in people lives. And; To the degree that I make a difference in people lives ... I would stop finding fault in my own.

It took me a while to accept the offer to coach. After all the joy of seeing my son participate was my purpose for being involved. I was a parent ... and although I had an intimate history with Track and Field. I never gave any real thought to the idea of coaching. So when I was asked by a friend to coach I was taken by surprise. To that point I had only offered up small pieces of advice and encouragement, but never showing any interest. It took a while but I finally gave in ... and it would be later that I would learn from my decision ... that "Destiny's invisible hand is always moving pieces".

I was elected to coach the 400 and 800 events and although the 800 was not my field of expertise. I figured I could do anything that required study. I remember the first day when it was announced that I would be coaching. I felt just a little uneasy, after all I was given what I saw as a great responsibility. I would be responsible for coaching these kids to their best performance. As well ... a great deal of trust would be put in me by their parents to look after what was most precious to them.

For whatever reason the kids took an interest to the newly elected coach and one by one I inherited what I would later find to be some of the most remarkable young people I would ever come into touch with. You see they weren't a collection of All Americans or National Champions and niether were they the best at what they did. But they shared a common dominator between them all ... A genuine love for what they did and a healthy respect for themselves and eachother.

But I wasn't sure why they would choose me for their coach. that was until someone mentioned to me that kids gravitate towards the people they trust, the ones who they believe to have their best interests at heart. Perhaps it was in the small pieces of advice or the tiny whispers of encouragement I demonstrated that gave them permission. whatever it was one thing was certain. I was not going to let them down.

Part II   To Be Continued