Personal Narrative: The Sartell Sabre Dance

At the time I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and maybe should have taken a bit more time to consider the important position I was accepting. I had participated in various sports teams all throughout my schooling career, but I feel like I didn’t understand or even realize the importance of team building as I had been too close to the situation as an athlete. Stepping on to the other side of the bench really was an eye opener for me. Being given a group of girls, each signing up for their first team in their high school career, all from different elementary school and backgrounds was a very daunting task. Looking back, I distinctly remember all the stages of building team cohesion happening, though I feel like it would have been far more graceful had I taken this course before accepting the role of mentor and coach of fifteen 13-year-old girls. I personally do believe that team cohesion is one of the most significant aspects of a team and is a strong identifier as to whether or not the team will be successful in achieving their goals. Without a positive team dynamic and a solid foundation of trust and understanding, there are too many issues that stand in the way of the athlete’s focus and their capability of functioning as a team. The team that I coached definitely had their ups and downs, though as they trained together and

Being captain can be one of the most important aspects of a dance team, but with my hard work and determination, I can take this squad far. I am well prepared to take on the responsibility’s that come my way. As many of you know we were VERY close to making it to state last year and I would love to have that feeling of not just coming close but to make it to state. *KNOCK ON WOOD* I will make sure that while having fun at practice, we take our time seriously and perfect our routines. Every year if I had a problem or I was having a rough day and all I needed to do was vent the captains were there. No matter if it was during lunch or after practice they were there to talk. If I am elected dance team captain, not only will I help all of you with dance but also with anything else you are having problems with. I will make sure everyone feels comfortable and included. If they are having a bad day please don’t hesitate to pull me aside and talk about it. I am willing to listen to ideas of my co-captain and the rest of the dance team to make our dances the best they can be. I know I am far from perfect, but as captain I will work right alongside you girls and push all of us to be our

On a not so typical friday night, after a long day of school, my team and I knew that the day was not over. We had a fight in front of us and we knew what needed to be done. Coughlin high school was going into the ballgame as underdogs. Having everyone look at us as “the team that never wins playoffs” really makes you push harder for that title. It was very typical for my team to get the “short end of the stick” when it came to playoff rankings. The only thought that crossed my mind was to win so my team can move on to distracts. In the locker room before the game, everyone was getting ready and our coach told us something that i would never forget. He said “play this game for the next 48 minutes as if it was the last 48 minutes of your life.” After hearing this, we knew that we had work to do and that we had to accomplish the goals that we came in wanting so badly.

The rest of the team has seen me on my really bad days and days where I feel amazing. We all go through ups and downs. All of us 18 girls on the team had to get through preseason, and although it was only two weeks as opposed to the usual three, it was one of the most physically demanding times of my life. Despite this, it is rewarding to accomplish something after months of summer workout packets and preparation, and we all got to do it as a team. Even serious preparation and practice does not allow us to win certain games. Losing 4-0 to Dock took a toll on us, and for a couple of days it was easier to point fingers to others as to why we did not win. In spite of this upset, I used it to drive me during the next game. Not everything that happens during the season is going to lay out the way we would like it to, but I would not trade this sense of kinship for

In the regular season my dad’s team lost a game to Cedar Rapids. They lost 13-7 and the game wasn’t as close as the score was. Everyone knew the Cedar Rapids team was better than them and they knew the only way they would beat them in the playoffs would be to play harder than they did. After losing the game the coaches came up with a new style of playing and the players bought in, thinking it would be the difference that led them to a state championship. They went on to play Cedar Rapids in the state semi-finals. In a very hard fought game they beat Cedar Rapids 14-13 and went on to play in the state championship game. After they won that game, the entire town was behind them as they went to try and win the first state championship in school history. Also, in the state championship they played a really good team and they were projected to get destroyed by. But my dad’s team was able to pull off the upset and win the state championship 24-11. My dad was happy to win the championship, but he was happier for some of his teammates and coaches because he knew that winning that game would be the best moment in some of their

As I sat there in a motionless position similar to that of the Thinker, I was reminded of the fundamental lesson of sports: There is no substitute for winning. People today often accept a misconception to about the value of losing. Losing sucks; there is no sugarcoating it. When an individual completely invests oneself to achieve a goal, anything other than victory can only be considered a failure. Once we realized our opportunity to reach, and in our minds likely win, the state championship, our whole season seemed like the rising action in preparation for a deflating anticlimax. We didn’t have to accept failure, but we had to accept the fact that we had failed. I had to accept the fact that I had failed. Somehow, there is a bitter form of beauty in that dedication to a goal, but even more, in the perseverance to continue.

My last two seasons of football, we went a combined 2-16 from a record standpoint. The seniors and I have put in so much work. We all came in at 6 in the morning during the summer just so we wouldn’t go through another losing season. We knew we were a better team than we were my junior year, and yet we still couldn’t win games. We did so many things right; for example, we led the state in rushing for teams that didn’t make the playoff. All of these thoughts were going through my head while I was bawling in my car after losing yet another game in which we held the lead twice in the last few minutes. The next morning I woke up and thought when is all this hard work going to pay off like I was told.

Even though we did not find much success in the win-loss column, we focused on improving what we could and doing our job both on and off the field, put academics and behavior in the classroom as a priority above the game, learned the value of camaraderie and brotherhood, and fought through

“To become a leader you must be able to envision the future” (Kouzes & Posner, 2008 p. 52). Coaches and captains should have a positive outlook on the season and be able to mentally view their team going to playoffs, districts, etc. The example of Alyssa Giagliani, track and cross-country runner, who asked freshman what they saw in their future, they said they didn’t think she had one. When they asked Alyssa what she saw in the teams future was a positive outlook on their team, and that they would become the first women’s team in the history of their school to make it to the championship (Kouzes & Posner, 2008, p. 53). By telling the freshman this, they were inspired to set this as their goal as well. This is a great example that shows that one person’s idea and vision of something can inspire others to believe in themselves. Which is something I tried to do during my years as a field hockey and track captain.

We went from Ballinger, to Llano, and finally to Forsan for our last tournament of the season. When tournament season ended, we all knew what was next. We got to fight for our position in the state playoffs. Our district opener was against San Saba. We started off district one and zero after a twenty to four win over San Saba. The first half of district lasted the next two weeks. We had not lost to a team in district play. The newspaper's sports section had the headline "Miles undeafeated halfway through district play!" We began to think that we had already won district. Our coach; Coach Hoffpauir saw our change of mindset and started to change his attitude towards us, but we were all blind to this. He started to have a shorter fuse on everyone but especially Cody and I. As we got closer to our second game against San Saba, tension was built between our team and coach. We started to argue with each other, and were butting heads with Coach Hoff up until

The phone rings. My mom steps up from her worn office chair and grabs her cell phone.

Our team sat in the hallway of our school, waiting for our name to be called to enter the gym. The pregame jitters were everywhere. Girls were bouncing up and down, fanning themselves and skittering around. I had a flood of emotions inside me. I was mostly excited but also quite nervous. What if my parents didn’t like the dance? What if my peers don’t like the dance? What if it looks bad? I couldn’t help but doubt the routine in a time of such nervousness. Our coach gave us each her routine good-luck shoulder shakes, and I knew the time had come. I heard the crowded gym fall quiet.

I was exhausted and ready to give up; the rain blurred my vision, but I fought to keep my balance. The 12 foot wall loomed in front of me. The task was to hoist myself up and over it along with the seven other girls on my team. My arms were shaking, but I used all my strength to push upwards. I swung my leg over and hoisted myself onto the platform at the top of the wall. Looking down at the ground, my team wildly cheered and celebrated my success. My small victory would not win this battle. My entire team needed to rise to the challenge and stand here with me. This is just one of the many physically and mentally challenges of J. Kyle Braid leadership training camp that developed and strengthened my leadership skills by making me a more confident and prepared leader.

I am excited to present my senior project this trimester. For my senior project, I decided to coach a cheerleading team for kids from eight to twelve years of age. I have been involved in cheerleading for six years and have a very strong passion for the sport. I also enjoy working with kids. In terms of personal development, I hoped to be involved with a project that would strengthen my leadership skills. Therefore, this coaching position acted as the perfect choice for my project.

Identity crisis does not even begin to describe what I faced after this defeat. Friends, teachers, and classmates alike frequently inquired how the team was doing, expecting me to be a part of it. As the days passed, self-confidence plummeted and embarrassment was recurrent. I found myself pondering “Why did something like this have to happen to me?”