In the second installment of Johannah Mitchell’s blog on her experience this summer with Coach Across America, she writes about opportunity.

Read Johanna's first blog here.

By: Johannah Mitchell

Opportunity.

When I think of the word opportunity, I think of the chances I have been given in order to do better and to be better.  Growing up in a small suburb outside New York City, I was given many opportunities to succeed both in the classroom and on the field.  These opportunities where given to me by the most influential figures in my life including my parents, my family and friends, and various teachers and coaches who made it a priority in their own lives to see me reach my potential.

Albert Einstein once said, “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.”  If an individual is never given the chance to develop then it is not the individual who has failed, it is the society who has failed the individual.  I believe each individual has the potential to do great things and to be great, so long as they are given the opportunity to achieve such success.

Coach Across America and Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership are awarding children, who are considered “at-risk,” the chance to find their own greatness.  And whether their greatness entails becoming future athletes, teachers, leaders, police officers, CEOs, or coaches, these two programs are supplying communities with qualified and enthusiastic mentors.  These mentors are coaches and volunteers who desire a society where the youth of tomorrow are given equal opportunities to become successful men and women.

The last two weeks of HLL Day Camp were filled with intense practices, great math and English workshops, and tons of field trips.  During the workshops, the campers worked on their fractions and times tables, as well as their reading comprehension.  Some of the field trips we took the campers on included trips to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Natural History, New York Sports Club, and The New York Medical Center.  By bringing the campers on trips to various places around the city, they are being exposed to more environments that support healthy, successful, and safe lifestyles.  Thus, this exposure gives them new opportunities to build their futures.

On Sunday July 28th, a few of the coaches and I took a group from the boys team to The RBC Decathlon to volunteer.  “The RBC Decathlon’s goal is to combine athletics, the financial services industry, entertainment, and charitable giving to raise millions annually for cancer research.  Created in 2008, The RBC Decathlon has quickly gained national exposure and realized fundraising success through the introduction and implementation of CharityBets.  This concept encourages our competitors to perform their best as each rep, minute and second translate into thousands of dollars for cancer research.” (TheDecathlon.org)

The decathlon was a full day event, where the kids were given specific jobs to help out during each heat.  While watching the boys, I saw some really wonderful things.  Not only could you feel the excitement in the atmosphere, but everyone was very welcoming towards our group.  It was great seeing the boys engaging in conversations with these men and women.   Many of the competitors were interested in learning more about the boys, the game of lacrosse, and the HLL program.  I believe the experience was a very positive one for the boys because by volunteering they were able to meet and hang out with many successful businessmen and women, as well as give back to their community through a great cause.  “The annual event raised more than $1.3 million, which goes to pediatric cancer research and treatment at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.” (BusinessInsider.com)

Last Thursday, HLL brought in five college students from Howard and Morehouse University to talk to the kids about pursuing a college degree.  They explained to the campers that they were able to achieve college acceptance because they were  focused and determined to have bright futures.  They advised them to continue their lacrosse careers because involvement in team sports can give you one-of-a-kind benefits.  I believe this was another great experience for the campers because they were able to find out more about becoming a college student.  By having the Howard and Morehouse students come and talk to the campers, it helped reiterate the importance of performing well in both the classroom and on the field, as well as the value of a good education.

During these last two weeks of the HLL Day Camp, I have seen amazing progress with my players.  Not only did the girl’s skills improve, they are eager to learn and grow as players and students.  For instance, I had this one player who just started lacrosse this summer.  Her stick skills were poor and she was terrified of getting hit with the ball.  I could see her frustration as she watched other girls steadily improve each day.

One day after working with her on wall-ball, we took a water break and I shared with her my own experience as a beginner and how I began playing lacrosse a year after all my friends.  I began lacrosse in 8th grade, much like some of the girls at the camp, and when I started I had no stick skills whatsoever!  I would get frustrated and angry because I was unable to throw and catch like my other teammates.  However, I learned at a young age, in order to succeed you must put forth the effort and practice.  I would tell my dad to pick me up a half hour later than my practice so I could spend extra time playing wall-ball and shooting around.  I began my lacrosse career as a defender and with hard work and practice I was able to improve my stick skills drastically and finish up my lacrosse career as an attacker.

I explained to my player that lacrosse isn’t a sport that you are going to get better at over night.  Lacrosse is about your skills and in order to achieve these skills you have to practice, practice, practice.  Sure enough, she was on the wall again determined to succeed.  Every time she caught the ball I could see her excitement.  When camp ended she asked me if she could take the stick she barrowed home for the remainder of the summer.  This was incredible to hear because I knew she wanted to continue practicing so she would be prepared for the season.

HLL Day Camp was my first official coaching job.  At first I was felt timid, but as I got more comfortable I think I had a great impact on the girls.  Our last practice day was short, due to a field trip to NYSC and the rain, so the coaches and I decided to have the girls compete with a partner passing competition.  It was truly rewarding to see how great the girls were doing.  And despite the rain, the girls were having so much fun.  When it came time to wrapping up practice, hearing the girls object was amazing.  I still cannot believe my three weeks with these girls are over.  I have learned so much about not only coaching, but about myself.  I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to continue my work with HLL and I am excited to begin work with their other camps.