Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
 
Tryouts. Just the word releases butterflies into my stomach. Varsity. State. Points Per Game. Turnovers. I was already feeling the pressure of the season before it even began. I didn’t know why, but this was the unfavorable mindset I went into basketball tryouts with. As a returning varsity player and upperclassman I should have been relaxed, besides, I have been to a lot of tryouts before. Maybe I was feeling the pressure to perform on the court and as a leader for younger players. But I don’t think it was that.

We had been having open gyms almost all fall and I had met and become friends with many of the freshmen. We had a huge graduating senior class, and now a huge freshman class which helps make up for the one senior we have this year. It had been really fun playing with these freshmen, and other returning players in the fall and I was looking forward to the season with them. Last high school season and summer season were rough for the teams I played on We never had good chemistry, never felt connected and that made the whole experience miserable. They were nice girls and really good players, but we never fully trusted one another. Trust is vital especially in a sport like basketball that relies heavily on teamwork. I think that’s where my apprehension came from. I love the game of basketball but I was worried that the same thing was going to happen as previous years.

Then the day of tryouts came and I remember after those first few drills feeling so excited. The atmosphere of the practice was different. When we made mistakes there were reassuring comments and high-fives. All my apprehension melted away. Since then I have had thousands of high-fives, and many fun memories. We are barely over two weeks into the season, about to play our first game, but these girls have already become really close to me. We’ve had some rough days, hard conditioning, late practices, injuries, but I realize that I can trust these players and this has helped me appreciate what a team really is. It's a group of people who play for each other, who want each other to get better as badly as they want to so  the team can do the best they can. True teamwork requires selflessness and kindness, in addition to competitiveness and drive. I hope this season I can embody these traits so I can be a great teammate and make this season fantastic. Thank you to my team and coaches, I can’t wait for a great season!