When you turn a certain age being in Middle School or High School those are the immediate times when you try and find a circle of friendships to surround yourself with. Whether it is through being at school or athletics. But during school, you are with classmates but afterward, you could potentially attend sports. When being involved in athletics, you are there to learn, grow, and strive in a sport but to make friends and create strong bonds and friendships that hopefully help be your support system throughout those times. Everybody comes from a different background but being together just about every day teaches one another to care for and support each other. Surrounding yourself with people who want the same accomplishments and have the same ambitions creates a mutual drive to want to succeed.
Two students from Woodmore High School were interviewed to share this perspective. The first student interviewed Olivia Schreck. Schreck was asked, how has being a part of a team helped build your friendships both in and out of the sport? Schreck said, “for the first one I’d say it’s helped me to have a lot more patience and just be more positive, it also helped me get closer to new people. The second question that Smith answered was, can you share a moment during your athletic career when a teammate’s support had a drastic impact on your performance or mindset that day? Smith said, “once I was starting to get down on myself from a bad game but my teammates all helped me realize it was fine and that everyone messed up and helped change my mindset to not give up. The second student who was interviewed was Mia Vargas. Vargas was asked the same two questions. Vargas’s only response said, “Being a part of a team has been very important to me. It’s not just about playing the sport together but it’s also about building strong bonds with teammates. We try to support each other on and off the court as much as possible, which has strengthened many friendships. It’s almost like having a second family.” Each of their statements is very effective in trying to understand their perspectives.
Through these interviews, it’s clear that the triumphs the athletes faced together created connections, encouragement, and overall trust in one another. Hearing what their experiences are helping others learn that each athlete has a variety of stories that shape who they are as athletes. Not only are these friendships built on shared resilience and dedication but the unspoken understanding of hard work and respect. Blending competition with collaboration teaches every athlete that they can grow not only as a person but also as a teammate.
