Why I Love Coaching

My name is Adriano Di Benedetto. I wrestled for Bishop Ryan for five years and during these years I fell in love with not only the sport but the atmosphere that surrounds wrestling. Although wrestling is not a team sport, it truly feels like one of the most family-like teams out there. The bond you make with your fellow athletes and coaches is unlike any other and is why I love wrestling so much. During the pandemic I made the switch from competing myself to coaching alongside Mr. Sheldon Francis at Bishop Ryan. I have also been coaching alongside Mrs. Emily Ling with our club athletes from Jr. Marauders and our super little athletes from Jr. Celtics. 

During this year I found a new passion and love within the sport of wrestling. Coaching opened a new way to love the sport all over again. This is why I started coaching but the reason I continue and feel in love with it was because watching and coaching athletes is such an amazing feeling.  

The question of why I love coaching really comes down to the fact I love seeing others succeed. There is something about watching one of your athletes being successful that is a feeling like no other. The joy, the happiness, the excitement you see in their eyes is why I coach. Watching your athletes being that happy fills you with such a warm feeling and that’s what I love about coaching. Knowing that I played a part in making a lasting memory for that young athlete. Through coaching you get to see athletes grow and develop not only into the best wrestlers they can be but also the best person they can be, and that is why I do this. 

During the time I wrestled, I learned so much about myself and about life. So many things I learned from wrestling I will take with me no matter what I do in life. And this is something I want to give to other athletes; I want them to feel what I felt and take these memories and lessons with them for the rest of their lives. Wrestling teaches you so many valuable lessons and I want to be a part of that. Being able to give back and make a difference in these athlete’s lives is why I love to coach.

Written by: Adriano Di Benedetto