While being recruited and speaking with multiple coaches, I could get a pretty good feel for what type of coach I liked and could connect with. One of the coaches I enjoyed talking to the most was from a well-known school, and the coach said all the right things when it came to recruiting me. He complimented my skill as an ice hockey player and stated how great it would be if I were to attend this particular school, he was a great recruiter, except for the fact that he could not pronounce my name. He would say my name, and I would continuously correct him.

With this being said, I think that it is vital that a prospective coach be able to pronounce my name, especially since I corrected him about five times. In addition to this, I received a recruitment package in the mail from the school, and my name was misspelled. I felt that if a school were interested in recruiting me, they would take the time to learn how to spell and pronounce my name. Putting this aside, I continued the recruiting process with them. 

Soon after I had received the recruitment package, I decided to plan a visit to the school. When I arrived, the head and assistant coaches were waiting at the rink for me, and they kindly walked me around the campus. They continued to pronounce my name wrong, and I continued to correct them. They seemed very excited that I was visiting the school, and they kept complimenting my skills. I thought my visit went well, and I loved the school as well as the coaches and team. I was keeping my options open and, therefore, visited other colleges.

As I visited a total of four schools in a matter of three days, I was excited because I felt as though I had found the perfect school. The school at which the coaches could not pronounce my name was no longer one of my top choices. Later on, that week, when I got home and had committed to the school I felt most at home with, I called the coaches of the other schools to decline their offers. It was time for me to call the school that couldn't pronounce or spell my name. When the head coach answered the phone, he seemed excited to hear from me. Unfortunately, I had to tell him I would not be committing to his school. After I thanked him for his time and consideration, the coach went on an angry rant about how I had wasted their time in the past few months. He told me that the school I committed to was not the right choice for me. After his rant, he hung up the phone on me. I was in shock, and it took me a moment to get my wits.

Later on that month, I saw the coach at a tournament. In hopes of turning our awkward phone conversation around, I smiled and waved politely. He rolled his eyes, gave me a dirty look, and then turned his back on me. This was very disappointing and upsetting, and it made me feel awful. In the end, that was not the right school or coach for me. I am happy playing hockey at Yale University, and I play for a fantastic coach.

* Originally published on January 31, 2018, by Saroya Tinker