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Azure Davey has had a profound effect on the players she has coached. She has touched so many lives through her involvement in athletics and she has never been forgotten when she has moved on to the next stage of her life. Here is a message from one of her Elmira College Women's Lacrosse players that was eager to write about how Coach Davey has touched her life. This proves how much Coach Davey can relate to her players and make a long-lasting impact.

Coach Davey took me under her wing during my freshman year. Though I had always wanted to play Lacrosse in High School, I never did. When I expressed my interest to Coach Davey about possibly trying out for the team, she told me that she was very interested in having me be a part of the team. Without any tryouts, I joined the Elmira College Women’s Lacrosse team in the 2003-2004 season. She guided me in ways to get a proper lacrosse stick, techniques on passing and catching skills within the racquet ball courts, how to pick up ground balls and to understand this amazing game that I had never played before. She made it very easy for me to understand when using terms and analogies from basketball, which I have played for 16 years. I was able to understand the game better, become a better lacrosse player, and become a part of a team. Coach Davey made it easy for a first timer playing lacrosse to feel accepted and part of the team by the kind of respect she has, the outlook on situations, the faith she had in her players, and the type of person she is.

When I heard that Coach Davey wasn’t going to be able to return the following season because she had completed her GA position of two years, my teammates and I were devastated. Even though she had helped me over countless hours of practice, bus rides, and games, I didn’t know if I wanted to continue my lacrosse experience. I loved this new game I had learned and the friends that I had made on the team, but even with one person missing to hold it together could make it unstable.

When it came to the next year for fall ball, I had had all summer to think about my decision. At first I wanted to, but the team had changed and the attitudes were different. It wasn’t the same team that I had known the year before. When I looked around, many of the players had not returned. Not because of lack of playing time or not getting along with the team, but because Coach Davey had left. These players missed the game terribly, but again something was missing and it didn’t feel right with her not there. I decided to not play the 2004-2005 season because I felt the same way. We had lost something too precious from our team for me, and many of my other teammates, to continue. When she left, a chunk of our team heart and soul left with her.

I don’t think Coach Davey knows the impact she had on many of her players. When it came to our last game ever, I was sad about our seniors leaving, but even more sad about Coach Davey leaving. I tried to do all that I could in expressing the gratitude that I had for what she had helped me achieve and do, but it could never be enough. Even after she left, many lacrosse players talked about her and who she was, not about the season. What I remember from my experience through lacrosse are the friends that I made and will keep until the end and Davey. She doesn’t know how much she helped me grow into the person I am today and how much I respect her. It really is true that you’ll forget the wins, losses and stats, but you’ll never forget your teammates; and that includes coaches too. Everyone that has had her or will have her as a coach or teammate is lucky, and they’ll know that the moment they meet her.

Thanks for letting me speak about the wonderful person, even though it is only a glimpse of the respect I have for her and how much appreciation I owe her.