“I won’t remember the wins and losses. That’s great and all, but I think I’ll remember friendships and my teammates.” Melissa Nafzger, a head coach at Spartanburg Community College, says this about her team, and I feel this also relates to my team. I’ve made so many inseparable friendships with my gymnastics teammates over the years, and we have accomplished so many outstanding things together. My teammates have had a considerable impact on my life and have helped me grow in strength, responsibility, as well as friendship and teamwork. Being a part of this team has been a learning experience that I will cherish and take with me for the rest of my life. My teammates have made me a more positive person in order to achieve more goals in gymnastics …show more content…
When you are part of a team, there can be many tasks that you are expected to complete, especially when you are a captain. There are team responsibilities and self responsibilities. An example of team responsibility is being on time for every practice and meet. If you have a bad habit of being late to your sporting events, then it might carry with you into your job careers or with other things that are of high importance. Since I have been apart of the gymnastics team, I have learned the importance of being on time for things, even if that means waking up earlier than normal or having to miss another sporting event. Another example of team responsibility is performing to the best of your ability. If you are slacking off at practice and don’t work hard, then your teammates will be upset with you because they know you have more potential to do better. My teammates always motivate me to do my best in every event. Moving forward, not only is there team responsibilities, but there are also self responsibilities. For instance, one significant example for me is being a good role model to everyone on the team and to people not on the team. This is important because if I make poor choices, than my teammates will think those choices are okay and could make the same choices. Also, if I made poor choices, it could affect whether I get to compete …show more content…
We have created bonds that have gotten us through the hard times, and that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. My team has gotten along so well and has been so close with each other because of good listening and a strong support system. They listen to each other’s thoughts and feelings, and are all there for each other in hard times. They always care for you and value what you have to say, and they don’t judge you. They can relate to what you’re going through and help you. In being a part of this team, I have grown to not judge people as much, and I’ve become a better listener. I’ve learned to reach out and talk to people that I wouldn’t normally talk to, and I’ve learned to be more supportive to my friends when they need it most, just like my friends do for me. Being a good listener and a supportive friend relates to being a part of a team because if your team has an inseparable bond, you will work better together and be more
I have been a four year letter-winner in volleyball and basketball. Athletics have been a crucial part of developing my character and work ethic. In sports, you must work together with your team to reach your goals. Trust and communication skills are vital and are tested every day. The failure and setbacks I have faced through sports have helped me to believe in myself and have the self-confidence that it takes to be successful in athletics and in life. As a senior captain of the volleyball and basketball teams, my leadership has improved tremendously as high school has progressed. Being a leader holds me accountable and I aim to be a role model for younger teammates on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
“Gymnastics taught me everything- life lessons, responsibility and discipline and respect.” -Shawn Johnson (Former Olympic gymnast). In my interview with Franchesca Hutton-Lau I found this quote to prove very true to her. Franchesca Hutton-Lau, often called Frankee by her friends and teammates, has been a gymnast ever since she was five years old. In my interview with her, she enlightened me on her struggles, experiences, lessons, and successes which she’s taken from this treacherous sport. Chesca, as I call her, has a very different life from the average high school student.
Throughout the years I have been cheering, all of my family and friends have supported me. Cheering may not be the most traditional sport that my parents may have wanted me to be a part of, but it is the sport that has brought many good memories to me. Making new friends that have he...
I had little to no motivation for a while and thought that maybe wrestling wasn’t the sport for me. I had shown promise in practice but as soon as I got on the mat for a tournament or duel I just drew a blank. I wasn’t executing any of the techniques I had learned after so many repetitive drills. I wasn’t the only one that had faced such miserable losses but it felt like it. My teammates helped me through my rut by giving me additional advice during practice and being in my corner while I wrestled matches. It was a great feeling knowing that I had people who had my back whenever I needed help. The wrestling team was a close knit group that dealt with all our problems together. We worked hard and played hard together till none of us could go any further. We were each other’s motivation, rivals, and family on and off the mat. If I had any doubts about a match my team thought the exact opposite and made sure that I understood why they believed so. But what made us a strong unit was the fact that we had similar goals and values. None of us wanted to lose and planned to make it past districts. We all wanted to take home hardware not only for our own self recognition but also to bring back a trophy to put on our principal’s desk who just so happened to love the wrestling program about as much as our team. All of us valued the effort that was put into every early morning practice so no one looked down on each other. The connection we had as a team made my experience wrestling all the more worth
Naturally, I faced the competition of other gymnasts, however, meets were not where my most valuable lessons were learned. The impact was greater in times I wanted to quit, and didn’t. For instance, my flyway, a skill I acquired as a child, became impossible for me to execute as a teenager. Each time I attempted to perform it, I froze, fear lingering in my mind. Frustrated, I contemplated abandoning my passion, yet, due to my persistence, I overcame the obstacle. I found quitting would never provide me the satisfaction I hungered for. Gymnastics also challenged my body. I suffered more injuries than the average gymnast with broken feet, fingers, toes, and elbows, a concussion, and two stress fractures in two years. My final injury, a torn labrum, resulted in hip surgery, six months of physical therapy, and the death of my college gymnastics dream. Through disaster emerged strength to cope with every roadblock I encounter. All of my life I had worked towards that goal, and with the lift of a scalpel, it was shattered. Thankfully, the qualities gymnastics has given me has transferred to every aspect of my life including my academic career. I have put in just as much effort in the classroom as I have in the
The sport of all-star cheerleading stresses dedication, sportsmanship, but most importantly the value of friendship. As the season progresses, a team, which once started out as multiple individuals with a common goal grows into one cohesive unit which bonds similarly to a family. Each athlete knows they have teammates who will support them in everything they do, on or off the mat. The team becomes dependent on each other to get through hard practices and to reassure each other of skills or give each other confidence. In particular, cheerleaders tend to grow closer than other sport teams. This is because during stunts and in routines athletes put their lives in each other’s hands. When completing a routine there are various stunts that include release tricks and a great amount of trust is required throughout the team in order for the routine to be successful. If a team is lacking trust or a strong bond between teammates, the routine becomes dangerous. At the end of each season, the athletes say goodbye to the seniors and as they welcome the new athletes into the family, it is clear that their strong bond lives on for the upcoming season. Although cheerleading teaches multiples lessons which will stick with the athlete their entire life, none are more important than the value of trust and
The qualities I have developed on the tennis team have helped me become a better team member and individual. I now find myself volunteering more in my community to provide an example of never giving up and with the realization that someone is always there to help when you need help. Every day I am reminded that I could have given up. But I didn’t and that is what made me a stronger person to go forth and fulfill my dreams and
Playing football has given me the opportunity to meet new people and make new friendships that will last a lifetime. Those friendships are made in the hot summer workouts, when everyone is tired, hot, and thinking about giving up, teammates are right by their side motivating them. After a brutal beginning of the season players are scraped and bruised and during mid-season practices, some players may think that the team doesn’t have any chance at being in the playoffs. Teammates unite together and remind each other that if everyone works together, everything will fall into place. A good team involves also being in good physical shape. Players are banged up and have little annoying pains, but that doesn’t stop a good team so the conditioning doesn’t stop. Everyone has to do it, but being on a team that helps motivate each other, it helps the pain feel more tolerable. In any sport you will be thrown into rigorous situations and being with your teammates and sticking together through it all will not only make the team better, it also will help bring you closer to your
Throughout sports history in America, minorities have had a sever disadvantage to succeeding. While the country has come a long way in integrating capable athletes in professional sports, there are several sports that have a white dominance. One rarely sees a minority on the swimming team. Caucasians dominate the golf and hockey leagues as well. One of the most prominent sports that is working on overcoming their racial barrier is gymnastics. Gymnastics is a white dominant sport, not only in America but around Europe as well. Ever since Dianne Durham was first African American to start competing on an elite level in the 1980s, there have only been a handful of black gymnasts recognised on the national level. It took until 1996 for a black gymnast to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Dominique Dawes competed in Atlanta and made history for being the first black person of any nationality to win a gold medal in gymnastics. While gymnastics has made progress including African Americans, they still have prejudices to overcome.
Now as I continue to finish the remainder of the school year, I want to keep the relationship of the team as strong as I can. I think the key to have a successful team is to have a good relationship with the players and have strong leadership. I hope that the younger players on the team can learn a lot from the leadership of others and me. Through the whole experience of being a leader, it has influenced me to keep striving for my goals no matter how hard I want to quit. I know that I will have to use the experience I had as a leader to be successful in
In the short story Ethan Brand, Ethan Brand lusts for knowledge that leads him on a quest for the unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin, as one may interpret, is pride and self-gain. It is a loss of the brotherhood with man, and a loss of respect for God. Once this knowledge is gained, he faces alienation from all those around him. In searching for this sinful knowledge, Ethan Brand leads himself into intellectual isolation. He cannot separate his head from his heart, his intellect from his soul.
One thing that has made me who I am is the social aspect of cheerleading. When my teammates and I are leading the crowd we are always interacting with the fans as well as the players out performing. Being with my teammates cheering on others builds a bond that is unbreakable. Friendships are made and many different people are involved in so many different things. The cheerleaders on my team as well as the opposing team’s cheerleaders interact also. Even though our teams are going head to head we, as a squad, still have to be kind and lift others up. Being around so many important people that are doing the same things as I am is so cool and reassuring. When I am always involved with others I build a bond and that helps me build my social skills to become who I am right
Standing there, watching my sister perform on the biggest cheerleading stage there is, I was flooded with memories of my own cheerleading career, reflecting on the initial call to this journey. From the very beginning, at four years old, I dedicated everything I had to cheerleading. I felt a sense of belonging and shared passion with Team Illinois, it felt like I found my place in the world. Our practices are not just about perfecting routines but also about building fellowship and trust, essential elements in any team-based journey. The hours spent in the gym were not just physical training but also mental conditioning, preparing us for the challenges ahead.
Being part of a team creates a bond between teammates that can last a lifetime. Also, enduring the criticism of the coaches distills proper direction and discipline that you would likely not learn off the field. In “The Real New York Giants”, the author, Rick Reilly, writes about how a football team of firefighters loses many teammates and friends due to the attacks on September 11th, 2001 on the twin towers, and how the bonds and closeness of that group helped them to keep playing football and honor their fallen friends whom they became so close with through the sport (**insert beginning pg #). While in this certain circumstance, the importance of sports did not affect
By being part of a team, you will give and receive praise. Receiving recognition from a team mate or a coach will boost your self esteem because you have been acknowledged for your efforts. As you are praised for your efforts, you will become more confident, thus improving your self esteem. Often times, the bond formed between team mates on the field translates into a friendship off the field. As team mates come to depend on each other and know that they are depended on, their level of commitment or responsibility to the game and skills needed for the game increases.