Service coaches should provide

THE WORLD OF SPORT and games provides  a treasure trove of true stories of courage, endurance, compassion and camaraderie. The recent Winter Olympics in Sochi which concluded on February 23 has done just that. Anton Gafarov. In the men’s final cross country skiing event, Russia’s Anton Gafarov crashed halfway down a hill, badly damaging his ski. However, he managed to lift himself up and continue, but fell again, this time breaking the ski. Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth ran onto the course to support him. He provided a new ski — putting it on for him — which enabled Anton to finish the race. Although he finished a full three minutes behind the leaders, the crowd gave Anton a standing ovation as he crossed the finishing line, creating a memorable Olympics moment. “I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line,” said Wadsworth in an interview to Toronto Star. Wow! That’s the magic of sport and why millions of people worldwide love sports of all types. It’s not just competition, it’s the goodwill it generates while reaching out to others. This anecdote reminded me of another story of caring and service. William Waldorf Astor. On a stormy night several decades ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Scrambling out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk, hoping to get shelter for the night. “We’d like a room, please,” the husband requested. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at them and explained that there were three conventions in town. “All our rooms are taken,” he said. “But I can’t send a nice couple like you out in the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you, perhaps, be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it’s good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.” When the couple declined, the clerk insisted. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll make out just fine,” he told them. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, “You’re really exceptional. Finding people who are friendly and helpful is rare these days. You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” Together, these two stories remind us about what the most friendly, helpful and exceptional coaches know and understand. The kids they coach are not their kids. Too many coaches talk about “our kids” and the trouble they have with their parents. The fact is, unless the coach is paying for the child’s housing, food, insurance, school, medical care, and so forth, they are not their kids. Coaches are gifted children by parents to spend short spells with their kids on a field or in a gym, and need to give their children the coach’s best in that precious time. Great coaches don’t have to be jerks. When a…