I did this other sport for a long time. 

I had a coach, Tatiana. 

She was from Uzbekistan. 

She was an Olympian. 

She told me that when she was young, everyone in the town she lived in knew who was training for the Olympics. 

The town was ‘all in.’ 

The whole town was her coach. 

Right down to the bus driver. 

The bus driver would not let her sit down. 

She had to stand on the bus. 

She had to stand right beside the driver. 

…with her ankles bent outwards to ‘strengthen’ them. 

I will just leave you with that one. 

She was the best coach I have ever had. 

I often think of her in the sense of ‘what would Tatiana say?’ 

But here is the cool thing. 

Tatiana did not say much. 

Tatiana coached with her hands. 

She spoke with her hands. 

She said everything with her hands. 

When you completed what she asked you to do, she would be too far away for you to hear. 

You looked over at her as soon as you ‘came up.’ 

She would use her hands to tell you what you did right. 

It would always start with a ‘thumbs up.’ 

Then the hands would get moving. 

It was never what you did wrong. 

It was what you should work on for your next try. 

How great is that? 

I take Tatiana on all my rides. 

Starting with a thumbs up and ending on what I can work on. 

‘Tatiana’ 

Insert bus emoji here. 

‘There is another way to ride.’