By Hector Mesa

I would like you to first read an article from  Dr.Richard Stratton, a professional in sports medicine, and a former coach from WVU.

Being Part of a Team

By Dr. Richard Stratton

What does it mean to be part of a team? It means you are part of of a group who have come together to achieve the same goals. You are a piece of a puzzle. All of the pieces: you, your teammates, your coaches, and maybe even the parents of the team members must fit together to make the whole puzzle which is the team. While some coaches try to emphasize teamwork with the slogan “There is no I in Team” you should understand what they are trying to say. It is important that each member of the team have their own individual goals that they hope to achieve while playing the sport. But there are also goals the team as a group want to achieve. All team members must be willing to adjust their personal goals to fit in with the team goals. Not everyone can be the leading scorer. There are starters and there are substitutes. I once coached a middle school basketball team that had seven players who were essentially equally skilled and could all be starters. Of course, only five could be starters in any one game. After the first game, one of the boys came up to me and said he was quitting the team because he did not get to start. I explained to him that only five of the seven best players could be starters in each game but that as the season went on, all seven would get to start the same number of games. I also pointed out that if he looked at how much playing time each of the seven was getting, he would realize that they all played about the same amount of time during the game. My point was that each member of the team has an important contribution to make and that the team would only be as good as how hard everyone on the team did their particular job.

Being part of a team means helping your teammates whenever you can. Cooperation among all members of the team is very important. Jealousy of teammates has no place in sports. No matter how good you are there will always be someone who is better than you. You should admire those who are better than you and work even harder to bring your skills up to their level. You should see this as a challenge rather than something to be angry about. Being angry at a teammate will hurt your performance and will hurt the team’s performance.

Finally, being part of a team means giving 100% all of the time. When people are part of a group they sometimes do what is called social loafing. This is where you give 100% when you play alone but less than 100% when you are part of a group. In essence, you slack off and expect others in the group to pick up part of your responsibilities. What would happen if everyone on the team did this? The team probably would not do too well. You are an equal partner on the team and must contribute your fair share of the effort, take your fair share of the credit for team successes, and your fair share of the blame for team failures. This is what it means to be part of a team.

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What this means:

The ideal man is a team player; someone who is part of a common brotherhood. At work, you help your co-workers get the job done, and at the same time, get your job done. In the club, you get a wingman or two, and challenge each other. Work as a team, opening sets, and making interesting conversation.

When one tries to be the lone warrior, and become the big shot, that person ends up, not only hurting the team, but hurting themselves. They might be the lone victor, and stand out, but in the end, you will have many who hate and despise you, and that kills the purpose of a team.

In life, you need friends. You need the social proof, the wingmen to back you up, and a strong frame for doing things. Most of us, including myself, continually strive to achieve this. Whatever the reason, one thing that stands true, is that, as a part of a team, as long as you be yourself and contribute, you are unstoppable.

Everyone around you is a part of a team: The PUALifestyle team. Doesn’t matter if it’s your family, friends, strangers, or that crazy bum on the street . You are a teammate. You are as strong as your fellow man (And woman :)). As a team, great things are acheivable. Doing things onyour own may work, but it will come at a cost to someone else. That is why sports are essential to life. That is why athletes, clique members, and social butterflies are successful.

With that frame, it’s no suprise that life itself, suddenly becomes enjoyable.

Words: Hector Mesa