Alexandra's Personal Application
All throughout my life I have been on many, many teams. These teams ranged from athletic teams, work teams, teams throughout school, etc. When my team for Digital Media Project 3 and I were coming up with our model, one team that I was on predominately stuck out in my head, my high school cross country team. When people first think of cross country they probably do not actually think of it as a typical team, but it actually was one of the best teams I have ever been on. I started cross country my sophomore year of high school and had always hated running but had nothing else to do so I gave it a shot. My high school is one of the biggest in the state, resulting in almost two hundred students on the cross country team and five coaches. Most people would think a team that big would result in no actual teamwork and when I originally joined the cross country team that is exactly what I thought as well. To my surprise this team was the closest knit team I had ever been a part of. When thinking about our Teamwork Model for DMP3, this cross country team was immediately what I thought of because it truly is the perfect example of what a team should be.
First of all in our teamwork model we talk about communication. Communication was extremely important on my cross country team for a number of reasons. First of all there were four teams within our one big team (JV boys, JV girls, varsity boys, and varsity girls). Only one team would race at a time so the three other teams would go around the course and cheer on each and every member of the team. The amounts of encouragement, cheer, and praise from all of the members of the team and the coaches are really what inspired all of us runners to keep going and not give up. Communication also came into play when our coaches were helping us during practice on how we could become the best we could be and what exactly we had to do. The feedback from my coaches and peers really did help me when I was practicing and racing. I also really developed my listening skills because there were so many precise instructions where to run on the course and how to practice.
The next factor in our model that translated to my team was commitment. I had to stay committed to my team during practice and races and even when I wasn’t with them. I had to make sure that I would never just quit or not try because my team really needed me even though I was one out of two hundred.
Leadership was another extremely important element in our team. I wasn’t a captain or on varsity or a coach but the coaches and captains of our team were very inspirational and kept us driven and motivated. They made me realize what a good leader really is and showed the perfect amount of structure, but also passion and kindness and you could really see that they cared about each and every one of us.
The last factor of our model that tied into my cross country team was individuality. Cross country is both a very individual and a team sport. First you must do well as an individual so you can achieve your personal goals. The team’s goal is for everyone to do well as an individual so that the team can get the best overall score, so even if you think you do not matter on the team you really do. The individual scores turn into team scores, so you can accomplish great things as both an individual and as a team. Overall, my cross country team really has shown me what it means to be part of a great team. I can relate every single aspect of the teamwork model that my DMP3 group and I came up with to my cross country team, which really says a lot. My cross country team was one of the best in the state and it is a prime example of everything a successful team needs to be to go onto greatness.
First of all in our teamwork model we talk about communication. Communication was extremely important on my cross country team for a number of reasons. First of all there were four teams within our one big team (JV boys, JV girls, varsity boys, and varsity girls). Only one team would race at a time so the three other teams would go around the course and cheer on each and every member of the team. The amounts of encouragement, cheer, and praise from all of the members of the team and the coaches are really what inspired all of us runners to keep going and not give up. Communication also came into play when our coaches were helping us during practice on how we could become the best we could be and what exactly we had to do. The feedback from my coaches and peers really did help me when I was practicing and racing. I also really developed my listening skills because there were so many precise instructions where to run on the course and how to practice.
The next factor in our model that translated to my team was commitment. I had to stay committed to my team during practice and races and even when I wasn’t with them. I had to make sure that I would never just quit or not try because my team really needed me even though I was one out of two hundred.
Leadership was another extremely important element in our team. I wasn’t a captain or on varsity or a coach but the coaches and captains of our team were very inspirational and kept us driven and motivated. They made me realize what a good leader really is and showed the perfect amount of structure, but also passion and kindness and you could really see that they cared about each and every one of us.
The last factor of our model that tied into my cross country team was individuality. Cross country is both a very individual and a team sport. First you must do well as an individual so you can achieve your personal goals. The team’s goal is for everyone to do well as an individual so that the team can get the best overall score, so even if you think you do not matter on the team you really do. The individual scores turn into team scores, so you can accomplish great things as both an individual and as a team. Overall, my cross country team really has shown me what it means to be part of a great team. I can relate every single aspect of the teamwork model that my DMP3 group and I came up with to my cross country team, which really says a lot. My cross country team was one of the best in the state and it is a prime example of everything a successful team needs to be to go onto greatness.