September 19th
I was a competitive swimmer before I began taking volleyball seriously. I always loved the relay events; they turned an individual sport into a team sport. After all these years as an athlete, parent, and coach, I don’t understand why so many coaches still allow select athletes to compete, especially on the starting squad, when they miss practice repeatedly, or on a regular basis. For me, the hardest part of the sport was cheering for a teammate who hadn’t been there to support the rest of the team. I wish everyone practiced more, not because I think everyone needs to get better, but because we all need to get better at BEING a team(mate). If we removed the friction from our team dynamic and culture, we would have spent less time focusing on our team’s performance. Looking back on my life, I wish I never let losing get in the way of my friendships.
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