Personal Narrative: Coach Leake

A person that has helped me grow into the man I am today is my high school baseball coach Steve Leake. From the first day I stepped on the diamond he saw something in me that nobody except my grandfather had told seen. The four years that Coach Leake and I spent together trying to capture the schools first state championship ring were some of the greatest seasons I ever played. As a new school year began I made the decision to go to a different school for high school.I began lost on that first day, but it became easier when I noticed a flyer on one of the many colorful boards around the school.The blood red and black flyer was for fall baseball tryouts something that I know I can make friends at easliy.So the next day after school I walk out the double doors near the gym and follow the maze of gates to the field.I was the first person there since my grandfather had instilled the idea that twenty minutes early is on time.The man I met in the dugout is the schools Coach Leake.He is a tall and bald man who is as southern as sweet tea.He always knows how to make a hard situation turn into a joke afterwards.Coach was like a third grandfather towards me giving me a outlet to talk about issues.He acts like all of his players are his grandkids even keeping in touch after they leave his team.Coach Leake is one of the most selfless men that are on this earth. "Hello I am Coach Leake and you are?"he said in a friendly tone "I am Steven Riddle and this is my first time trying out here at Matoaca."I said in return. "Well I am glad to have somebody who is eager to play." Said with a smile Once I made the team that day it was a daily occurrence of me being early to practice and him telling me that I am eager to play.At the beginning of the fall season I was on the Junior Varsity team with Coach Hayes a freshman English teacher at the school.I expected this since I was a freshman but halfway through I got pulled up to Varsity since their catcher had gotten hurt. "Well Steven this is a first for me having a Freshman on varsity but …"he said proudly"if anyone can do it you can"This really did motivate me into playing hard during both fall and spring seasons.Which ended up being the season I played the latest of my four years but it was the season I learned the most on how to become the best player I can be in spots I got in. During my sophomore year we lost the first game of the season then made a run all the way to the regional tournament which would proved a major hurdle in our season.Coach had let practice out early on the Monday for our Thursday contest because he was going to scout our potential …show more content…
"Well Josh our boys played well and gave everything they had.But one thing we need to work on is our sliding, some of the guys are not dirty enough for my likening." He said with a jolly laugh at the end.
After this game some the team started to strut around like peacocks with their colorful tail feathers spread out.We came crashing down two games later when we lost our first game in the season.Coach Leake let us have it at practice when we had to do conditioning with the distance runners on the track team.We did it as a team with no complaints because it is the way that teams work even though the players that were strutting around did not play as often as others.After we finished the running coach called the end of practice and gave us a ultimatum.
"So guys we have two weeks until the district tournament and I am going to give you two options on how we are going to prepare."He said with me being weary of his next statement.
"Option one we end practice conditioning with the track team everyday or option two you guys have to come to school early twice a week to do conditioning with me."This was a hard choice with players throwing out what they wanted which was dividing the team.I ended up telling everyone to be