Just recently, the Saratoga Springs School District lost a beloved teacher and coach, Ms. Brenda Adams. There has been a lot of reminiscing about Brenda Adams' influence on those of us who knew and loved her.
What is it that I can add? Let me try!
Coach Adams had a gift that many in the profession of education admire and even some wish that they had. She could connect with students much like a friend, but more as a role model with positive vibes. Her knack to motivate both students and peers was second to none. There seemed to be a silver lining in her demeanor, where she could always turn a negative result from losing a game into a reason to look at the good things that came from the loss.
As a coach, she never pointed fingers of blame or browbeat any of her athletes. Brenda was able to pick out the good points and use the situation in a positive way to help her athletes grow. Reinforcing confidence in their ability to compete, Coach Adams was the biggest cheerleader—not only with players, but with her fellow coaches and teachers.
This isn't a learned trait. It comes naturally and is part of one's personality. I believe it was because she remembered what it was like when she played for the now defunct Mount Pleasant High School teams of Schenectady and at SUNY Brockport.
She was a physical education teacher, and her students could relate to her in their own way. There was no bias in her teaching style to favor the athletic students over those who weren't—every student received fair treatment.
She made gym class a lot of fun. Teaching skills to the classes daily, she made her students feel important, without any special attention or favoritism to gifted athletes and team members. Whether they played sports or not, the students had to earn their grades in class and she was fair and understanding to all.
She was truly an educator with good values that were passed on to her students.
As a colleague, Brenda was a lot like she was with her students. With no pretense of any sort, I would see her in the hallway or in the gym, and it was always "Hey Coach" or "Hello Big D."
We would talk about games our coaching philosophies and how we were doing with the season, but mostly whatever the situation might have been at the time!
Many times she would be in the stands rooting for the kids when she wasn't doing her coaching thing. I can remember when I took over the girls varsity basketball program. She came up to me, in excitement, because I decided to take it on.
She just knew how to make you feel positive and good about things that you did. She had a way to express her confidence in your capabilities.
I have many positive memories of this great lady—she was so special. Brenda was a person of greatness because it wasn't about her.
In her time, she was as competitive as they come, as a coach and athlete, and her sincere compassion for others was off the charts, actually immeasurable. Her greatest asset was her passion for what she was doing—teaching and coaching.
She took pride in being a Saratoga Springs High School teacher and coach. She loved supporting the teams and especially the student-athletes. Brenda was not afraid to tell it like it was, but it somehow always came out positively on how she felt. She was an uplifting force of energy and truly appreciated by her colleagues, students and fellow coaches, while gaining respect from coaches in Section II.
There is no replacement in this world for Brenda Adams.
Those of us who knew her must keep her memory alive for her love for all. Her passion for coaching and motivating people to excel in their endeavors must become a mantra, a slogan that echoes in the halls of Saratoga Springs High School.
Our communities' loss and our love for Coach Adams should live on. Her influences should never die in our hearts! We will miss her physical presence, but her legacy will continue as an inspiration to all of us she has touched!
