I did sports my entire childhood. I was never one to be described as “athletic,” “fast,” “captain,” but I still did sports for many, many years. Some of my favorite memories from high school involve my field hockey team competing in District and State Championships, spending hours on the hot turf field with my teammates, and working to get just a little bit fast and a little bit stronger. Sports were not my entire high school experience, and I definitely wasn’t carrying my athletic career into college (since I barely carried the team in high school) but without being on a team, finding passion of an athletic sport, and understanding the strenuous and under-appreciated effort athletes put in, I never would have learned some critical life lessons.

1. You don’t have to be good at the sport to love it.

I love field hockey. I haven’t picked up a stick in over a year, but I definitely have such a respect for current field hockey players since I know the total body stamina it takes no matter the position. I have gone to college field hockey games, will watch the games on tv (when they’re actually broadcasted), and still wear my old shirts with nostalgic pride. However, if I were to pick up a stick today I would probably injure myself and everyone around me.

2. You are always stronger as a team.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned through being on a team is that your group is only as strong as its weakest link. Physically, yeah, the better athletes get more playing time. But mentally, I knew star athletes who brought moral down through negative attitudes, while the slowest girl was the one getting the whole school the most excited about the big game. To be successful as a team, everyone needs to be motivated to work towards the same goals, even if some members are stronger, faster, smarter, etc. than others.

3. Sometimes life isn’t fair.

Many times benchwarmers feel they aren’t getting the equal amount of attention as other players. You know what? You’re right. And that’s not fair. The benchwarmer is not going to get better if they’re not given the same access and attention. Also, a player may be starting over a benchwarmer for biased reasons in which the starting player is not actually better for the game than the benchwarmer. While it’s good to express these concerns to a coach, boss, team leader, it takes work to fix broken issues, and that’s definitely not fair to deal with

4. Despite challenging circumstances, work as hard as you can.

When you’re not receiving the praise of coaches, parents, and fans of winning the game, it’s easy to feel as though there’s not reason in continuing to work as hard. But you know what? You’re never going to get better for yourself with that attitude. If you slack off on the field, in the classroom, or in your career just because you’re not getting recognized right now, you’re never going to get recognized later on because you’ve already fallen behind your own best goals. If you’re sidelined due to injury, you need to keep your moral up--just imagining yourself back on the field will put you in a better position mentally to get back on the field. There’s only a certain amount you can control on your own, but putting yourself in a mentally positive place to support yourself and your team in a great place to begin.

5. Be the cheerleader others need.

Part of the reason I loved a team sport despite not being the best player was because of the friendships I made. The same positive affirmations I tried to express onto others is that I tended to receive in return. In the same way I had to congratulate someone on their game winning goal, I found myself praise when I ran just a little bit faster or finally perfected a stick move. It’s the mutual support everyone needs and deserves, but to get that support you need to give it.

6. Take pride In your role

Freshmen year field hockey I had noooooo chance on playing, or subbing, varsity. I was way okay with this, and along with another freshman I played field hockey with, we were put in charge of videotaping the varsity games. Even though we weren’t playing the big leagues yet, we freakin’ loved it. Even my senior year when I wasn’t a part of the team but just acted as manager, I took the on the role with pride and wanted to be the best damn manager field hockey had ever seen.

7. Celebrate your 15 minutes of fame.

Alternate lesson title: celebrate the small ones. I, a solely defensive field hockey player, scored a goal in my first ever high school game freshmen year. Never, ever would I score a goal again, but heck yeah that was a shining moment for me. When I did long distance track for one spring season freshmen year, I was the slowest girl on the team by far but I still remember when I finally ran under an 8 minute mile. I felt like all eyes were on me, and to be honest, it was pretty awesome. Relish in your success and appreciate the small advances in your future.