Assignment/Activity
Title— Captain of the Takoma Park Rangers
Year— Senior
Skill— Group
Dynamics
Portfolio Category— Advanced Exhibition
I've been playing with the same
National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) club soccer team since the summer before
fifth grade. Unlike most teams in the league, we're not a big club. The Takoma
Park Rangers don't have an A team and a B team, and we've never cut a player
trying out in the history of the club. When you join our team, you have two
options – either you commit and put in the work, or you leave.
I was invited to try out in fifth
grade after the team's manager saw me playing at a local tournament. When I
went to try out, however, I was quickly disillusioned – I was slower, chubbier,
and just generally not as skilled as everyone else on the team. I wasn't sure
if I wanted to commit to something so hard and intense, but I went for it in
what would prove to be the best decision I'd ever made. Because of my lack of
experience and skill, I sat on the bench for most of my first year on the team.
When I did get into a game, I was deployed at right defender rather than my
preferred center back. It was a tough year, but I put more effort in that
season than any other before. Over the next three seasons, I lost weight,
increased my speed, and practiced more than almost anyone on the team. And it
paid off. I earned myself a starting spot on the squad, although I was still
playing right back. When everyone started growing around us, our coach decided
that he wanted me playing center back because of my height. I eventually became
captain almost on a fluke. Our captain at the time was going to the bathroom
when they held the coin toss, so I went out and took care of it. After that, I
was folded into the captaincy.
Of course, I really had no idea what
I was doing. I'd never really held any leadership positions before, and I was
newer to the team (meaning I didn't want to tell more experienced players what
to do). But because of a combination of things – our age, the fact that we were
from Takoma Park, and that we were only a division four team – meant that it
didn't really matter. I led warm-ups, but that was as far as my duties
extended. I thought I was learning to be a leader at the time, but it was
nothing compared to what would come.
Eventually, our coach left for a
better job opportunity in Calverton. After one temporary trainer, we finally
got a new coach (one that we still have today). Coach Steve's arrival brought
more changes. Under his management, I finally stepped up my leadership
abilities and responsibilities. Whereas before I was just leading warm-ups, now
I was in constant communication with the entire team. I set up a Facebook group
so we could communicate that way, and helped create a TeamSnap account four our
club (a website that essentially acts as a calendar for the team, and allows
players to mark availability for tournaments and games). I helped set up drills
and run parts of practice. I became the point man for players' questions or
concerns. And I learned to be more vocal on the field and off of it; to find
the line between bossy and helpful.
The most important ability in
leadership is being able to find a balance between listening to everyone and
being someone they can come to with problems, but never losing your authority
and the respect of the team. That being said, my newfound leadership abilities
also helped me outside of the Rangers. Academically, I developed into a much
more responsible student. I became more willing to take charge of group
projects, and more likely to give help, ask for help, and interact with my
classmates. And I saw a number of changes in my personality. My confidence in
social situations increased, as did my tolerance and patience. And developing
these traits led me to take other leadership positions throughout my life. I
was voted captain of Blair's junior varsity soccer team in my sophomore year. I
joined and am still working as a founding member of the Sweet Truth, a youth
organization partnering with Sugar Free Kids to combat the twin epidemics of
obesity and diabetes in Maryland. Essentially, becoming a leader on the soccer
field impacted all elements of my life, and marked an important transition for
me.
In the winter of my junior year, I
tore my ACL. What the doctor thought was just an MCL sprain turned out to be
much worse as the MRIs revealed that I had obliterated one of the most
important ligaments in my left leg. It was not an experience I'd ever want to
relive, but the worst part was that it meant I had to miss my spring season
with my club team – the last chance I'd get to play with some of the graduating
seniors on the team. And it also had other implications for the team, since
they'd be missing their captain and starting center back for the entire season.
Because I couldn't play, I had no reason to go to practice. I quickly became
out of the loop and unable to answer questions about practices or games. However,
I managed to stay involved by attending every game that season (except for one
that was two hours away early on a Sunday morning). Although I couldn't play or
help out like I used to be able to, I took on more of a manager's role –
setting up warm-ups and drills, passing out pennies, helping coach pick the
starting lineup. I also remained as vocal as ever, pacing up and down the
sideline yelling and directing everybody when nobody was talking. I remained an
important figure on the team, but a different kind of captain/leader than I had
been previously. This change also helped me step back and evaluate my previous
self, and make some improvements. For example, when on the field I occasionally
got frustrated with certain players or the team. Off the field, however, I
could manage that and remain supportive and positive.
And again, this development also led
to increased academic leadership. Because I was no longer going to practices
three times a week, I had more time to dedicate to other activities – like
writing for Silver Chips Online. In the two months after my surgery, I wrote
and published an incredible 17 stories. In addition to the increase in article
quantity, I also improved article quality. Whereas my previous articles had
been relatively dry and standard, I now began to receive comments on my
stories. I tried my hand at a humor story, with relative success. And I helped
cover other writers' sports beats when they couldn't do it. My journalistic
growth mirrors that of my athletic growth in that I began to commit more and
more time to the organization, helping cover for other people and increasing my
own personal output. And, like with soccer, it paid off. At the end of my
junior year I was chosen to be one of the publication's managing editors, and
therefore on the administrative team with the Editors-in-Chief. Even though I
wasn't able to contribute as much to my soccer team, I found other areas of my
life in which my leadership abilities helped me develop and improve.
Every leadership quality that I
currently possess, as well as some non-leadership qualities, can be traced back
to my NCSL club soccer team. Over roughly seven years, I went from benchwarmer,
to starter, to captain. I gained knowledge and experience that directly
translates to other areas of my life, from academia to social situations. My
leadership abilities and qualities have had an impact on a number of people,
and helped me improve to become a better human being.
No comments:
Post a Comment