It’s #impactweek at the International Youth Conditioning Association so all week coaches and trainers are talking about the impact we’re having on people, or the impact others are having on or had on us.

When Jim Kielbaso, the IYCA CEO, asked me about contributing, I immediately thought of my first hockey coach, Bruce Regge.

At 9 years old, I laced up skates for the first time at Ebersole Ice Rink as part of the White Plains Plainsmen Squirt Hockey Team. I was afraid of my own shadow, and the fact that I had never skated or played hockey before, did not help matters.

 

I can remember one of the first drills, skating from the corner to the other end of the ice, behind the net and then back down, with the puck.

I could not even stand up.

I must have fallen at least 20 times and there was no way that I was even close to holding on to the puck.

It was brutal.

Not only did I not know how to skate but I had no idea about where I was supposed to be.  I remember feeling really self-conscious and scared, but those feelings soon dissipated for one reason: Coach Bruce Regge.

Bruce had so much passion for helping young people and he was so patient with me. He could have just ignored me and dealt with the better kids but he didn’t.  He nurtured me and made me feel special.

He gave me the confidence to feel good about going out there and not being afraid to fail. He spent extra time with me in practice and he encouraged me to go to public sessions just to get some extra time in on the ice.

He was my coach for three out of my first four years and I remember I always loved going to the rink.

 

I loved Bruce but I’m not sure if at the time I realized how great of a coach he was.

It wasn’t until I was exposed to the next four coaches that I started to realize how he made the game fun for me.

All those other coaches did was yell. They were always negative and created an atmosphere of fear of doing something wrong out there. So many times I hated going to the rink.

It just wasn’t fun anymore so I stopped playing around 16 and just played pick up hockey for a year before getting back into it.

My brothers played as well, and Bruce became a family friend. He was even at my high school graduation party.  I always loved seeing him around town and stopping to chat with him.

He taught me how to skate, about the game of hockey and a little bit about life.

I always remember him saying at the end of practice, “Keep skating. I know you’re tired but this is where you get better!”  Forty one years later, I still think of that when I am trying to get through something tough or things aren’t going well.

Bruce made a huge impact on my life and I will always be grateful. He shaped the way I think about how young people should be treated not only in sports but in life.

He is no longer with us but he will always be remembered by so many people who he coached.  Thanks Bruce.

Did you have someone who impacted you as a coach?  If you make a post on Facebook with the hashtag #impactweek and tag @InternationalYouthConditioningAssociation in it this week, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free year of IYCA Insiders AND free registration to the IYCA Summit in Detroit, April 27-28.