There is no “I” in team; true in softball and life
Maybe it’s that I’ve played team sports since I was 5, but I love me a team. Not watching teams, but being part of one. I love the cameraderie, the friendly competition, the way the whole transcends the sum of its parts to become something new, better, more awesome. Nothing brings this home for me like going to the Gay Softball World Series with my amazing Cleats O’ Fire.
We’re not the best team in the world. This year we’re 5th in the nation in the D division, which is the lowest division for women’s teams. We’re kind of like the Bad News Bears at times, throwing wildly and popping the ball up so high that it might hit a plane. Then again, there are the grand slams, the double-plays, the amazing catches, and Wheels O’ Fire around the bases.
Our rules are simple:
- Have fun.
- Be safe.
- Throw to people.
Softball isn’t an individual sport; grand slams can’t happen if the bases aren’t loaded, double-plays require 2-3 people (most of the time), and some of us need the extra help of base coaches and on-deck batters to remind us when to run from third base to home (not that this happened to me, of course). We need each other. We’re better together. In fact, we’re at our best together.
No home run hitter in the world can pull together a crappy team and turn them into winners. A single ringer doesn’t win games. An individual can excel by themselves, or they can help to lift the whole team up. We have some pretty impressive players on the team, but each year we all get a little bit better, become more confident, and play smarter because we all work together regardless of skill or experience.
So, a week with the Cleats reminds me of the transcendent power of being part of a team, taking care of each other, having fun together, and running your butt off when it’s called for. Whether it’s playtime in the pool, board games in the hotel lobby, carpooling to games, or being on the field with our cleats in the grass and sun in our eyes, we’re a team through and through. That’s what I want to bring to my work, my friendships, my marriage, and my life.
Keep up the good work, my Cleats!
* Team pictured above in the photo that won us $500 in sponsorship money from Subaru. Oh yes, we’ve got stuff!
Tagged as collaboration, Inspiration, softball, sports, teams + Categorized as Ideas & Theories, Building a community, Inspiration
Gosh I couldn’t have said it better Westie!! Team Cleats is one of the best group of gals around and like you said there is nothing quite like the feeling of being a part of a team.