Throughout my life, I had always been considered “the tomboy.” I played sports constantly, and always played with the boys. I played baseball when the other girls played softball, and I played soccer with boys because I started earlier than many girls. Through the years, I started to narrow down the number of sports I played, until I finally ended up with two. Only one of the two was a team sport, and that was soccer. But through all the years I played, I was on many different teams. Some teams were more significant than others, as I had played on them longer, and some I barely remember. But no matter what, I always had my teammates’ backs, and today, they are some of my best friends.
1. You learn responsibility
Your team trusts you to play well and give 110 percent, and if you don’t, it is a detriment to the whole team. They rely on you, and as a team player, you want to live up to their expectations.
2. You learn to trust others
You must trust your teammates in order to gain success. They must make good decisions in order for you to do well. Your playing relies on them, and trust is the number one most important thing between teammates.
They have your back, and you have theirs.3. You get in shape
Obviously, any sport does this for you. But I will never forget doing sprints on the back turf with my teammates, because they pushed me hard in order to succeed. Getting in shape isn’t the most fun thing in the world, but my teammates always made it a lot better.
4. You learn respect
I’ve been pretty fortunate to have some good coaches over the years, and they were my friends. Even though they were my friends, I still had to respect them. They were the ones in charge, and I might not have liked what they had to say, but I had to put on a tough face and bear it. I might not have liked the fact that they weren’t playing me at a specific time, but they were trying to do what was best for the team, and for that, I respected their decisions.
5. You learn to be a good team member
If you aren’t a team member, you won’t win. It’s as simple as that. It’s a team sport, not an individual one. And we all hate that one ball hog who never passes the ball and always gives it up.
6. You go through ups, but also downs, with others
Of course, ups are the best kind of things to go through together. Winning a game, scoring a goal, or making a good play, and you get to experience it all with your friends, which always makes it even more exciting. But you also go through downs, and even though they’re hard, they’re so much easier with other people surrounding you. It also makes you so much closer with your teammates.
7. You make some of the best friends
Almost all of my best friends have been my teammates at some point in time, and that isn’t a coincidence. I trust them with everything, they push me hard to succeed, and they motivate me to push beyond my limits. They’re all the sisters I never had, and I love each and every one of them to this day.
