A few weeks into my Adversity 16-2’s volleyball season, Coach Ryan Poolay walks in. I had no idea who he was or why he was here. But instantly, we clicked. I remember the first time I met Ryan, we warmed up together. 

During that year, I didn’t see him much. It was very sporadic. But fast forward to almost a year later, we trained together almost every weekend. Ryan sacrificed his weekends just to make me better. He advocated for my success. 

I remember one day in the summer, I felt off. During that time, I was struggling a lot with my mental health. I felt like a failure. One day when we were training, he said “I’m worried about you.” He advocated for my health. He let me talk to him for hours about how I was feeling. He listened, he cared, and he made me feel important. Not only did Ryan listen, he helped me come up with ways to help me get through it. 

Not only was Ryan my coach, he was like a second father to me. Ryan was caring, dedicated, loving, and absolutely hilarious. He put everyone first. Ryan grew up coaching boys, so switching to training girls had to have been so hard. But Ryan was so good at it. He understood me, he understood what I needed, and most importantly, he understood how I felt. Ryan made me feel so important even when I was going through the hardest times. He was always there just to listen. 

Ryan didn’t have to train me, but he did. I remember him walking into the gym in a suit and a tie coming straight from work to train with me. Even after a long day of work, he was always there. He never acted tired. Ryan made the energy in the gym so positive and inviting.

He always asked me how I was doing, how school was, or how work was. He genuinely wanted to know how I have been doing. He made me feel so cared for.

Fast forward to now, I don’t play anymore. Ryan coaches Adversity 12-1s. Ryan still invites me to every practice and makes me feel as if I am a part of the team, even though I don’t coach and I don’t play with their team. Without opening up and listening, I wouldn’t have had such a strong relationship with Ryan. I opened up to receiving feedback and listening in order to improve myself. Although it was uncomfortable, I learned a lot about myself and got better.

I am so grateful to have trained with such a thoughtful, positive, and dedicated coach. Ryan taught me to believe in myself, and I hope to be like him some day. Thank you, Ryan, for being an amazing role model. I hope everyone gets the chance to meet someone as amazing as you.