My Path, The Right One

Happy weekend everyone! So, who wants a story? Well I'm telling one anyway, so kick back and settle in. After a recent outing with some friends, I went through this all in my own head. Seeing as it was kind of a deal at the time, I thought I'd share it.

About 6 years ago, some of you may recall a few posts and possibly even the photo below, talking about my leaving the sport of rugby, at least playing wise. What can I say, I kind of made it a thing, my bad. Well, if you have been paying attention to this blog or my social media for longer than 5 minutes, that’s clearly not the case. Still trotting out there every fall and spring.

​A bit about that time 6 years ago, see at that time I thought I was setting out on my career path of being be a college strength and conditioning coach. If you know anything about that occupation, you know there certainly isn’t a ton of time for things like rugby.

That summer I was beginning an internship at Boston University with their S&C staff (thank you Michael Anderson!), the first step to getting that type of job I thought I was heading for. Then it would be grad school and getting a GA position, then finding a coaching vacancy at a school I could fill. You can see that there wouldn’t be a ton of time for me to spend with a rugby club and an oblong ball.

​I was wrong...like way wrong (no kidding dude you still play) I know I know, but seriously I thought this was going to be the end of my playing, so much so that when I walked away from my last match, I had tears in my eyes, and even cried in the car a bit. Yes, I’m not messing with you. It’s a passion and as many of you know, has lead me to many of the best things in my life, my wife being the glaring obvious standout.

You see, while doing my internship, I figured out there was much of THE GAME to be played, as some call it. Yes, it must be played in most circumstances in life, a not so fun fact. This variation and/or amount of it, was just simply something I was not aware of, nor willing to do for the rest of my life. So, things changed for me. I loved my time with BU and will not forget some of the most important people in my career that I met there, Ant Morando & Ashley Crosby (Wittgren). I am not taking anything away from coaches in that part of the field by any means. They are absolutely some of the most brilliant minds in our field and bless their hearts for being able to handle those jobs with class and watch over those athletes to the level that they do. It was not for me though.
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​I’m not sorry that I didn’t go down that path, because it wasn’t my path. First XV wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t be Coach Dyke, and I would not have met some of the people & friends that have made my life what it is today.

So, if you wonder why it is that retirement thing didn’t take, there’s your long winded answer. The short version? I’d miss it too much.

Thanks for reading! Have a good weekend all!