Two men other than my father had dramatic impact on my life. Both of them were PE teachers, one in elementary school and one in high school.
I was awkward, uncoordinated, and a social outcast. I was always the last picked when teams were picked. My elementary school PE teacher solved this by making me the "captain" and I got to pick the teams.
My high school PE teacher, who won State championships and coached future NBA all-stars still had time to be my doubles partner when we were playing tennis.
Those two men were definitely my champions.