My Passion and My Future

You guys, I just want to take a moment to say how insanely excited I am about pursuing my dream of becoming a Strength and Conditioning coach. Every single time I venture off into the world wide web looking at internships, career opportunities, certifications,
teams, colleges and their training, relevant textbooks, and absolutely anything at all related to the S&C world, I get more excited. It's just this crazy excitement train that's gaining more and more momentum with every passing day. 

I have been so blessed to be given a position in my graduate program at A&M, and I intend to make the absolute most out of it. I'll be meeting everyone I can, building relationships, and learning from the best. I'll be asking questions, throwing out answers, and getting involved. I'll be reading ahead, soaking it in, and dishing it out. I'll be trying my best, leading from the front, and giving my all. I truly can't see myself anywhere else right now, and I still to this day cannot believe where I stand. It surely was not by my doing. What's this Finance kid doing in our Sports Phys program? Great question. 

But friends, I am passionate about this. I love it. When I first met with Dr. Crouse, one of the top dogs in my program, he told me I needed to meet with a certain Coach Rachelle Ellsworth. "She'll tell it to you how it is, and she won't sugarcoat it." 

In my talk with Coach Ray (the Master Strength and Conditioning Coach who will lead my practicum in the fall and spring), I was told that "the pay isn't high," "it's an incredibly competitive field," "you may have to move across the country and take 3 or 4 potentially unpaid internships before you even land a job," and then of course the line I've told all my friends: "and uh...don't be afraid to (clears throat) put a little size on before the fall." 

Dr. Crouse also had some words of encouragement: "You've got to get used to waking up early. You'll be working when everyone else isn't. Early mornings, during lunch, and late nights. You'd better really enjoy this stuff." 

"Really enjoy" is an understatement. I'm so thankful to CrossFit for giving me the opportunity to have coaching experience prior to this program, which I doubt many of my fellow classmates will have had. It's helped build me as a person and a coach, it's allowed me to develop my own coaching style and personality, and it's helped train my eye as a coach and trainer. 

I've already worked the weird hours: the 4:45a's, the 8:00-9:00p's, and everything in between. I've already considered the financial cost: I'm consciously bailing on my Finance fast-track to success. While my business school friends are off taking their $50-$75k plus jobs out of undergrad, I'll be pursing my dream and passion. And I'm completely fine with that. Not even fine with it--I'm thrilled about it. I already know it's competitive, but I want it bad. When I get my eyes fixed on a goal, I'm after it hard. My dad says I have a 1-track mind, and he's absolutely right. I'm locked on. 

Where am I, 2 weeks into summer? I'm ready for the fall. Send me back to school, let's get this ball rolling. In the mean time, I'll continue my studies and my constant pursuit for excellence.