{once again} to my team:

dear ladies,

i ugly-cried most of the way home after our last game last week. i'm still kind of in shock that this season is over. that our seniors' time has ended. it's too early for it to be this final. it doesn't seem real.

i know that it may not seem real for you either. although it has probably started to sink in by now. for me it always seemed to happen slowly, and then all at once.

as i think back over this season, i wish i could've done more, and been there more, but i am so grateful that i still got to come alongside of this team and still be part of this game. it has been such  a privilege to coach you. some days my life is mostly made up of changing diapers, negotiating terms with a 4 1/2 year old, and school carpool lanes. i'm so glad to have had the chance to shift perspectives and walk through this season with you girls.

i'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know each of you, to teach you, and to learn from you. thank you for giving me the space to do that.

and thank you for allowing my kids the space to run with you, to stretch with you, to do speed ladders, and play tag with you. k & a both want to play soccer, and learn more about the game because they've watched you play so much and so well.

i know we didn't accomplish all of our goals this season. i know the seven more games we wanted dropped off prematurely. i know that it many ways it feels like we failed. in a way we did, yes. but setting big ostentatious goals means that sometimes we don't quite get there.

but that doesn't mean we shouldn't set ostentatious goals. 

this team had the talent to get there, but sometimes things don't end up how we think they should. things don't end up where we want them to. it's one of the unfair parts of life.

only one team in the state gets to the end of the season without tears and heartache. but honestly? for you seniors, the end would still be hard simply because it's the end. i cannot tell you ladies how much i'll miss you. i've loved having a chance to watch you grow - as players, and as people.

to each and every one of you - stay mentally tough. never stop learning. never stop trying to get better. it's true on the soccer field, and it's true in life.

i hope you all know how much you're loved. i hope you know that i'm always here if you need anything. i'll train you, i'll run with you, i'll play you 1v1. i'll whip you into shape.
i'll also lend a listening ear, or meet you for coffee if you need to talk to someone.

i'm an extremely loyal person, and you guys are all now my people.
thank you for letting me coach you.

♥ coach kate