LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Brent Ribble was nominated by a student.

"Coach Ribble is encouraging and hoping that every jump will be the best we've ever taken," said the student. "Starting track freshman year, walking in, not knowing what to expect, I figured I would just continue with distance as I did in the fall. But then my sister told me about another part of track: Pole Vault. Walking in that first day and seeing the large amount of equipment that went along with this sport, I was a little nervous about trying."

"Then I started going through the motions with Coach Ribble, and I thought, 'This is weird.' I was unsure about this but gave it a shot and began progressing. Hitting height after height, I was very excited, but as I walked over to Coach Ribble, I could tell he was just as excited as I was," said the student.

"Over time, I got to know Coach more and more, and he is such an easy person to talk to. He has such great stories to tell all the time—he is just one of those people who's fun to be around, and he shows that you have to take the best parts of every little thing you do. Coach Ribble knows so many things, and it's exciting to see. Whenever I am having a conversation with him, or he is helping me focus on certain aspects of my jump, he has such a wide variety of knowledge, and it is always awesome to see it emerge," said the student.

"I will always have so much respect for Coach because teaching stressed-out high schoolers a completely new, different, and unusual set of movements can be very difficult. But he is so easy to understand because of the way that he explains things. He uses gestures and motions that allow you to connect when explaining things. But not only does he tell you what to do, he goes through it with you and can help you gain more understanding," said the student.

"Even when many things are going on at once, he can still take the time to talk to you or go over a video and give feedback. Another thing that I think is amazing about Coach Ribble is that he will never tell you that you did anything bad; he will tell you that you have some improvements that can be made. So when you are mad at the fact that you are having 'one of those days' where everything is just not going right, that encouragement and inspiration makes all the difference," said the student.  

"I am very thankful that I met such an amazing, funny, and helpful person who helps me achieve my track goals and shows me how to be the best version of myself. Thank you, Coach Ribble, for helping me through my track journey, and I am excited to see you at the end of the runway cheering me on," said the student.