“Being Passionate about Being passionate”
I’ve had many great experiences growing up that have made me who I am today. One that I think exemplifies it best is when I was 17, I was named as a Captain to the Jr. National Ringette Team to play in the World Jr.’s in Europe. Thinking back about it, I can remember how it felt, and all the clichés of the hard work, sacrifices and tired days it took over many years to reach that level. I feel myself hesitating to write about it, because by no means am I or was I the best, there are far better, and far better who still play and strive to be better every day. Nor is it the Olympics or any high paying Internationally recognized event. But I can’t explain the feeling in any other way. I can feel people question “Why ringette? Do you make money? Did you get scholarships?” I also feel like I should justify myself for why I played in the National League, spending thousands of dollars, booking my weekends through school and the first year of my career, to go and pay to play my sport across Canada. But I catch myself – because I think that is the definition of passion. I committed myself for the pure love of the game and I am inspired by those who continue to play well into their late 20’s, 30’s or even 40’s for the love of the game.
I am extremely passionate about being passionate.
I also honor my passion and how it shifts as my roles have shifted, I cried many times when I decided I no longer loved my sport enough to sacrifice the money and time for it. But I also respect what it has given me and carry that into my new roles. I created habits, developed an understanding of teams and handling conflict, learned how to speak up in a comfortable place and stand up for the things I care about.
When I was 17, I started running my own ringette clinics for younger players. The first year, we bought 3 ice times and invited players to participate, I invited some of my team mates to help me. We lost money. Since then, 9 years later, I own a ringette camp that runs three times a year in Manitoba. It consists of summer day camp that hosts over 100 players ages 6-16, a Winter Day clinic and an Elite Prep Clinic in the Spring. Annually, our program hosts around 200 players and I am profitable. But more importantly, I love it. I love that I have an outlet to inspire young, talented women who will one day lead, and make a difference. And I am inspired that past registrants are now starting to work at the camps. At one time, people knew the camps as “Sarah’s conditioning camp” because that’s how I named it. Eventually, I branded it, shifted from mail-in registrations with cheques and paper liability forms to online registration with a website. I also branched out to Brandon, Manitoba for 4 years (which we no longer do due to numbers in the town) and we continue to add something new each year. The camp attracted a team of like-minded young women who share the same passion for coaching and our sport as I do. My proudest moment so far, was when a mother came to drop off her daughter and asked me if she could “speak to Sarah” She had no idea who I was. That meant she was genuinely bringing her daughter to participate in what I created and the younger instructors I surrounded myself with. Now, I no longer attend or work the clinics, but I manage them. And that is naturally where my passion has shifted. It has been so amazing to reflect on this part of my life, because it is just one example of how doing what I’ve been passionate about has brought success. The growth came naturally and by demand each year, which is now led by the amazing young leaders who run the clinics. I constantly think about what can be better – within the lines of the time I have around my new full time career in Calgary, which is drawing an all new passion out of me. I bring things that I learn from ringette or my small business into my career and vice versa. I am very lucky.
My final thoughts on passion – I love quotes. Never do anything you’re good at for free and never stop doing anything you can’t go a day without thinking about. I believe if I can do those two things, I will always be fine. And those aren’t the things that are easy. It’s not about instant gratification, but rather, working at it. I also believe that you are what you consistently do, success is a habit. And on that note – success is also subjective. I am not the best, richest or smartest. And I do not necessarily care to be. But I do feel successful because I work hard and am lucky enough to be passionate about everything in my life. I have great relationships with my friends and most importantly, my family. And I want to always be better. As soon as I am not happy or fulfilled, I stop doing it. I also sleep really, really, well at night. And when I can’t, it’s because I am motivated and excited and possibly a healthy amount of stressed because I want to do well at something I am passionate about. There’s a difference between being “stressed out” and feeling “stress” for passion. I hope this is something that I can continue to thrive on and carry through the rest of my life as I follow my passions. I have been so fortunate to have found passion in ringette and can’t wait for what my passion brings me to next.
Sincerely, Sarah Lesperance
https://eliteringettetraining.com
Add Comment