the end of an era

I went to a high school wrestling meet on Saturday evening. In my opinion wrestling is a great sport. I competed for 10 years and coached for 2. What was special about this meet was what happened before the competition began. Stamat Bulgaris was honored because this was his last season coaching. He was an assistant coach at Beavercreek high school. Previously he had started college wrestling programs at Wright State and the University of Dayton (many colleges across the country do not have wrestling teams anymore, but that would require a long explanation that I do not want to give at this time). At Beavercreek high school he coached under one of his former athletes. I learned a lot about hard work, humbleness, and investing yourself in something you love from watching him as one of my coaches. I remember being amazed at how good of shape he was in and trying to guess how old he was. Neither myself nor my teammates knew how old he was, but we all had a deep respect for him. Coach Bulgaris coached for something like 40 years. He is one of those people that does not have to say anything, but he just has a strong presence. At the meet they listed many of his accomplishments. I can't remember most of them. What I won't forget is his example. The sport of wrestling, many individuals, including myself benefited greatly from Coach Bulgaris. He left a legacy. In him doing so, I am reminded to strive to leave a legacy as well.