Can you think back to the first person you met who you realized was an incredible leader? I remember mine, and at the time I didn’t even realize what a profound impact it would have on the rest of my life. I think I must’ve been about 15 years old. I was in my P.E. class as a freshman, only in high school about two weeks and in those days we had to wear a one piece, blue P.E. uniform.
I was on the field in P.E. class awkwardly playing volleyball. I was a nearly six food freshman girl and weighed about 145 pounds. When I clumsily dove for a volleyball, my face hit headfirst on a rock on the ground. When I lifted myself off the ground, blood gushed from my nose and forehead. The P.E. teacher came running over and showed me great compassion. She proceeded to help me off the field, however she was only about 5 foot two, so I rested my elbow on her shoulders as we walked to the locker room. I remember her looking up at me as blood gush from my nose and all over my brand new P.E. uniform, and asking me if I’d ever played basketball? At the moment, I thought she was just trying to add some levity to the situation. However, after my nose reconstruction surgery healed and I returned to school two weeks later with a plastic face mask, I realized she was serious.
A couple of days later I was on the basketball court with my plastic face mask, trying out for the varsity girls’ basketball team. At that time, I was pretty confident I wasn’t gonna make it when I looked at the talent around the gym. But lo and behold I was chosen for one of the covenant freshman varsity positions. I’m not gonna lie, I was a pretty awful basketball player at the time. But this coach had an incredible talent of identifying kids with potential. Or maybe just picking out the tall kids? After I made the team, I struggled through practices daily and then stayed after for extra practice, just to learn how to do a layup, bank shot, and free throw. That coach stayed after with me teaching me many lessons, and not just about basketball. She taught me the value of hard work, the concept of teamwork, the understanding of trust, the principles of leadership, and much much more.
My freshman season our team won the Florida 4A state championship. Even though I probably played in 60 minutes of play the entire season; for the first time in my life I felt part of a winning team. And I was determined to continue to experience that feeling over my lifespan. Fast forward three years, by my senior year, I was one of the top 50 recruited women athletes in all of the state of Florida. I was awarded a college scholarship and completed my occupational therapy bachelors degree under that scholarship.
Coach Vicky Johnson, changed my life that day on the field at Plantation High School in the fall of the bicentennial year of 1976. Nearly 25 years later, I reach out to Coach Johnson and expressed my gratitude. I suspect she changed many girls lives over the course of her career through her leadership and has always been so humble about it. I continue to keep in touch with Coach Johnson to this day, and she continues to inspire me as I assume the responsibility of developing others’ talents like she did with me. Strong leaders need to take the time to identify and develop people with potential; so go out and do the work, and often you will find a diamond in the rough.