To the Coach Who Gave Me a Chance

 I had never done a sport before. Aside from sprinting around tracks for fun and jogging pathetically around my neighborhood, I had never ran. Not like this. I’m not sure what made me click on the online ‘Recruit Me’ application on the athletics page of my new college. I’m not sure what made me think running NJCAA Cross Country was even remotely a good idea when I had never done a sport before in my life.

I filled out the application, most of it intimidatingly blank, but at the end I punched in on the “why I wanted to run” section: 'I love to run. I know it sounds bonkers when I haven’t been on a team before. But I love to run, I want a challenge, and I want to be apart of something bigger than myself.'

A couple weeks passed and I figured my instinct was right, why would a college want a girl to run for them when she wasn’t even athletic? But nonetheless I got the most terrifying phone call of my life, one from a man I would soon call Coach. Why terrifying? The lump in my throat didn’t know what to do, it sank in I had never done a sport before, I had never done a sport before. I had never ran a 5k, I still got winded walking up stairs (which I still do even though I run 5ks now – ha), and I certainly hadn’t ever had a team. What if they didn’t like me? What if they didn’t want me because I had never properly ran before? What if Coach got tired of me sucking?

My anxieties faded with the first gun pop at my first meet. Instead of counting my worries I started counting my blessings. Soon I was addicted to the improvement, I loved every minute of practice, and my team became my best friends, best friends that were there for me when no one else was when I got sick halfway through the season. Instead of being the scared, nervous girl I had been before, I was strong. Stronger than I ever had been thanks to XC. It was the one thing that always scared me, so if I could run on a team I could do anything, right?

So, to the Coach who gave me a chance, I’m honored to be on your last team. There are not enough words in this piece or in the world to explain to you and to thank you for all the opportunities and adventures and all the encouragement you gave me. You and the girls were there for me through the worst. Thank you for believing in me when no one else did, helping craft me into a better athlete, and finally,

Thank you for giving me a chance.


And remember, when you feel really tired, like you can’t keep going, that’s exactly when you keep going. That’s where you get stronger.



For my first year team: Coach, Jada, Molly, Anna, and Chasity.

- Cassie Anderson (@sassyycassie_)