General: Father's Day -- A time to say thanks

I absolutely love my father in every sense of the word.

There is no reason why I should have any other feeling for him. He has been the most important person in my 19 years on Earth.

While I consider him to be the father that I really would have wanted if I had a choice, there are many other people in the world of sports who have had a great influence on me, and I am sure I am not the only person with this story.

I still remember my first tee ball coach and the first person who ever told me I kicked the ball the wrong way.

Since my father was a coach, he did not always want to be the person to tell me exactly what to do. Coaching from a parent can drive a child away from a sport, and my father knew that.

It is because of the people he trusted to coach me that I write this article to thank my father figures.

Any time I had a coach tell me to stop yelling at the referee for what I still consider a bad call, I have become a better person.

Every coach who told me not to yell on the tennis court after a simple volley was missed has made me a better person.

I consider myself a very mature and polite person. That may be a little egotistical in a way, but at least I know that I am the way I am because I was "fathered" the right way, and I respect the people who did coach me when I was not in direct eyesight of my father.

Father's Day is a time to thank your father for the work he did and the time he put in.

However, this is also a time to call the people you may not be able to see to thank them for making you better at living life through their work on the field, the court, and most important of all, the playing field of life.