Being a part of my high school women’s tennis team for 4 years has taught me how to thrive in a team environment while still growing as an individual. Tennis is an interesting sport in that even though you each play individually and accumulate a personal win-loss record, you are ultimately judged at the team level – if you don’t have a competitive team your win-loss record won’t matter because your team will be eliminated and your season will be cut short. I think this creates a unique environment where you are forced to reconcile your personal ambitions with the interests of a team and I believe this is the most important lesson that I have learned from being on this team.
My goal when I joined the team as a freshman was to become the top …show more content…
Players challenge the person ranked above them and if they win they move up the ranking, if they lose, they move down. I had moved all the way up to #2 and all that was left was to challenge her for the #1 spot. I finally got the chance to prove myself but she defeated me easily. The goal I worked towards for the last few years wasn’t going to be realized. I was extremely upset but I started thinking about what it actually meant to be a “team player” and whether I was living up to that title. Everyone likes to think that they are a team player but finding myself in this situation I wondered if I really had it in me to accept defeat and move on. Holding a grudge would bring down team morale and I didn’t want to bring that negativity in. I realized I shouldn’t have to choose between the team and myself – I am a part of the team my goals should be in line with the team’s goals. I should strive to do the best that I can, but I should consider a team success to be my success as well. I can look back on this internal struggle now and confidently say that I learned a valuable lesson. I validated to myself that I do know what it is to be part of a team and that I can put my own feelings aside for the sake of a larger organization – I can truly be a team
My goal when I joined the team as a freshman was to become the top …show more content…
Players challenge the person ranked above them and if they win they move up the ranking, if they lose, they move down. I had moved all the way up to #2 and all that was left was to challenge her for the #1 spot. I finally got the chance to prove myself but she defeated me easily. The goal I worked towards for the last few years wasn’t going to be realized. I was extremely upset but I started thinking about what it actually meant to be a “team player” and whether I was living up to that title. Everyone likes to think that they are a team player but finding myself in this situation I wondered if I really had it in me to accept defeat and move on. Holding a grudge would bring down team morale and I didn’t want to bring that negativity in. I realized I shouldn’t have to choose between the team and myself – I am a part of the team my goals should be in line with the team’s goals. I should strive to do the best that I can, but I should consider a team success to be my success as well. I can look back on this internal struggle now and confidently say that I learned a valuable lesson. I validated to myself that I do know what it is to be part of a team and that I can put my own feelings aside for the sake of a larger organization – I can truly be a team