From a young age I got involved in several extracurricular activities, and I’m so thankful for all I have learned from them. Playing team sports has affected so many different parts of my life, and has ultimately shaped my personality. As I’m getting older, I’m realizing how much I am able to apply the skills I’ve acquired from softball and soccer to my everyday life. Even though I’m pretty much past the team sports stage of my life, I cannot express how grateful I am to have had those opportunities. Without further adieu, here are the 10 reasons I’m thankful for team sports.
1. Teamwork skills - I started playing softball for a 10 and under girls team when I was nine years old. I had no knowledge of the game when I first started, but this was the case for many of the girls on the team. Many of us were new to the game, and we had to learn to play together. It was difficult at first, especially for a nine year old team, but we overcame all of the obstacles together. I think that when a group of people can work together to overcome obstacles, they become closer to each other. I have applied this type of teamwork to every group-problem-solving situation that I have been in since.
2. Job Skills - A majority of jobs require you to work with other people in order to accomplish your goals, and get through each day. In my experience, I have found that those of my coworkers who have been involved in team sports, or have belonged to some type of club or group, normally are able to get along with the rest of the staff much better. When you work with a group of people who are used to working in teams, the overall work environment has a more positive energy. This also means that each individual employee is able to grow and improve with the support of the rest of the positive staff.
3. Learning From My Mistakes - This is one of the most important things that I have learned from playing sports. I became aware that no one is perfect, no matter how much you practice. I put in a lot of time at softball and soccer practice as a kid and throughout my teenage years. No matter how long I had worked at something, there was bound to be a mistake (or several) along the way. Maybe I dropped the fly ball right out of my glove. Maybe I kicked the ball right at the goalie. No matter what it was, I had to learn from it and get over it. I learned that If you focus on the mistake, and the negative impact, it will be incredibly difficult to succeed in the next opportunity that comes your way.
4. Communication - You have to effectively communicate with your teammates to know your next move. Before each play on the softball field I was taught to shout out directions on where to throw the ball if it was hit to you. It seemed silly at first, because once everyone knew the game, the plays were common sense. But you want to be able to communicate in order to keep everyone ready and on the same page. It makes for less errors and mistakes. Same goes for the soccer field: listen and talk with your teammates to decide where to pass the ball next. Communication is key for just about any task in life.
5. Self Confidence - I’m glad I finally learned that when I step up to the plate to bat, I have to believe in myself. No matter what the pitcher throws, you are never going to hit the ball unless you tell yourself that you CAN. You have to be prepared to swing at every pitch in order to get a hit. If it is a bad pitch, you can always hold back the swing. Unfortunately, you won’t know exactly where the ball is going to go. So if you want to accomplish anything, believe in yourself and be ready to swing no matter what.
6. Following Directions - No matter what sport you play, you are going to have someone yelling at you. Get used to it, and learn how to take instruction from it. Your teammates and your coaches usually catch little details that you might not notice on your own. You might have to adjust your position on the field, and you better listen to the coach when they tell you to move. I don’t know how many times I had my softball coach say “take five steps to the right” and the batter hit the ball right into my glove on the next pitch. Don’t be afraid to take advice from the people trying to help you.
7. Being Punctual - When you sign up for a team sport, you have people depending on you to be at all of the games, practices, meetings, etc. If you are late or you skip team events, you are letting your teammates down. You have to be at practice on time, every time, in order to learn with the team. If you are late to practice, you might miss out on information that would help the team in the next game. Once you get into high school sports, if you miss practice you aren’t even allowed to play in the next game because of this. If everyone is punctual, everyone will benefit from it.
8. Decision Making - Even though I am still not GREAT at this - and probably never will be - team sports have helped me learn how to make decisions. You have to know whether to pass the ball or shoot within a moment’s notice, and if you hesitate you will definitely miss your opportunity. I still tell myself this today in order to try to make important decisions.
9. Making Friends - When you get thrown into a new sport you have to depend on the people around you in order to learn all of the rules and techniques. I know when I went to my first soccer practice at 13 years old, my coaches put me in a position and told me to go for it. I had no idea what I was doing, and if it wasn’t for my teammates I’d still be in the dark. All of the support that teammates provide one another brings them closer together. Providing help and support is a great way to make friends whether you are on a team or not.
10. Representing A Group - Once I started getting into high school sports, my coaches explained to the team each year that once they put on the uniform, or the team hoodies and t-shirts, they represented the group and the school as a whole. They told us basically that we weren’t allowed to make stupid decisions while wearing the team apparel, because it would bring the team down. If you are in your softball jersey, getting drunk at a party, and photos get posted online, you just ruined the reputation of the whole team. I decided that whether I was wearing the jersey or not, I didn’t want to risk hurting the team, or my opportunity to play, so I kept myself out of the “party-scene” and plan to stay out of it.
From all of the positive experiences that I have had playing team sports, I can say that I think everyone should try to get involved in a sport or some type of group, club, or activity at some point in their life. This sense of group interaction from team sports has ultimately helped me become a more positive and productive person.
