Personal Statement : Dell Medical School

Sport’s are an aspect of life that affect societies across the globe. Athletics affect everyone's life, whether that be playing the sport, watching games, or hearing about a sporting event. There is a big difference between playing an individual sport and players relying on their own athletic abilities versus a team sport when members of the team rely on their teammates to complete each individual's specific responsibility to reach the team's goal. Team sports bring people together in countless ways, and they teach many life skills for the athletes that participate in them. Some of these skills include communication, teamwork, discipline, work ethic, dedication, leadership, and numerous more that will help them in their personal and work

People always say that the team is only as strong as its weakest player. Meaning that I had to help my teammates do the best that they could do. Therefore the weakest player was still a strong player compared to others. I could not have made it all about me because I can not play all nine positions at one time. Something very important about that comes with team work is getting along with the teammates. For a while I did not get along with one of my team members. I am not going to lie all we wanted for each other was to see each other down. Again my coach was not having that on her team. She pulled me aside one day and talked to me and said “The only way that our team is going to get somewhere was if you and you know who get it together.”. In these few words I knew that if i wanted my team to succeed I was going to have to but my feelings about my teammate to the side and focus on the bigger picture. I had to work with the team to put aside our differences and do what was best for my

I come from a small rural town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. My hometown is split down the middle by a set of railroad tracks. On the north side, one can find pristine neighborhoods, newer schools, most doctors’ offices, and the only hospital in town. The south side of the town stands as a stark contrast. On the south side, you no longer find the wealthy neighborhoods but rather dilapidated and condemned homes and housing projects. One seems to find abandoned buildings on every corner, many inhabited by those that have lost their homes. Limited help is coming for those who need it, mostly through churches and volunteer programs targeting the underserved. Many doctors, dentists, and nurses are giving their time and resources to help

Being on the varsity basketball, soccer, and softball team all three years has been quite a journey. Learning how to manage the little free time I have being a student-athlete is a thing that ties directly into responsibility. I believe I am an exceptionally responsible adolescent for the reason that I always am able to create time for my academics. Although it may be at 11 P.M on the bus ride home, I know that my education is my first priority. My softball coach, Shane Jordan, always re enforces the saying, “You are a student before you are an athlete.” This will stick with me throughout the rest of my high school career. Being a part of many unique teams has taught me great amounts about unity as well. Caring about and being there for my teammates on and off the court/field is something I do

I first became involved with the sport when I was 9-years-old and will probably continue with the sport until I graduate. Being a part of this team has shaped me into the person I am today. I have become a role model for my younger teammates. I am someone who can motivate them to work their hardest and help them achieve their goals by guiding them. I have spent many hours, whether it be during practice or after, coaching these younger teammates, or girls trying out for my team, in order to help out my coaches and show these girls that if they ever need any help I will always be available. This has taught me to step up and be a leader, which is something 9-year-old me would have never

Many people never understand the importance of team sports and activities until they have been a part of one. Being involved in a team demonstrates personal strengths can be used to grow as a team. Being a part of my soccer team, Fox Run, for seven years of my life truly changed every person on the team. Even though our team has split apart due to seniors graduating, the lessons we learned will continue to last forever. From fourth grade to eleventh, the sport through Fox Run has shown me to respect others, create lasting friendships, and persevere through the wins and losses.

Along with NHS, being actively involved in varsity sports throughout high school has made me gain a “work hard” attitude. This attitude of constantly working above and beyond will carry over to my future education and career to help me succeed. As a two-year captain of both volleyball and cheerleading, I have learned to be a team leader while also being a team player. High school sports have instilled lifelong lessons in me such as working hard, being responsible, and being a leader, that I know will aid me in by success in academics and a

I spend multiple hours every week to excel in all of my team activities to be the best I can be as well as set an example. Addition to showing me how to be apart of something bigger than myself. All of these activities have taught me respect, loyalty, and

This study focused on the importance of leadership among the athletes themselves, their peer leaders. “The results showed that the majority of team task (65%), social (57%), and external (79%) leaders occupied a formal position on their team.” (Loughead, Hardy, & Eys, 2006, p. 142). These leadership functions have different behavioral characteristics provided to the team members. The task leader helps to focus the team on the goal at hand and helps with decision making within the team. This may be the player on the team who calls the plays, the team captain. The research indicated that it was important for team members to elect their captains and other leaders. The social leader brings cohesiveness and harmony to the team. He encourages and rallies the players to get together and get involved. The final leadership function, external leaders help promote the team in the community and help organize fund raising. In addition, leadership within the team, through peers and other group members was a factor in the overall success of the team. They help foster communication between the coaching staff and the athletes. In addition, “it was hypothesized the longer athletes were members of a team, the more likely they would be identified as a

It’s often an uphill fight. The ego-driven culture of basketball, and society in general, militates against cultivating this kind of selfless action, even for members of a team whose success as individuals in tied directly to the group performance. Our society places such a high premium on individual achievement, it’s easy for players to get blinded by their own self-importance and lose a sense of interconnectedness, the essence of teamwork.”

The first thing I learned from being on a team was responsibility. Volleyball stressed this concept heavily because members relied on each other to be at practice and games so that we can grow and bond together to form a stronger team. With this responsibility came learning how to effectively communicate. Communication was essential especially in a coach to athlete situation, much like a boss to employee scenario, because if we could not attend practice or we were injured, the coach (boss) had to know. I strive to be an effective communicator at my current job and future career in graphic design so that my customers can get the best experience possible. With my ever-improving skills in communication, holding responsibility for myself and this Bay scholarship, I will be able to reach my goal of living a successful life as a graphic

For every high school kid out there or college player, there is greatness in being the kind of teammate who truly wants to be part of a team. Everyone wants to be the reason they winning or losing. Every single one of us wants to be that person. But there are special moments that come from a shared commitment to play a role, while doing it together. That's what you will remember. Not your stats or your prestige, but the relationships and the achievement that you created through a group. It's hard to do, but there's great joy in

From my first T-Ball team to my senior year track club, the comradery and confidence I have gained from competing on numerous sports teams has made an enormous impact on my life. Growing up, I went to a very small Catholic school. With less than 100 students in the entire school district. In third grade, our family moved to Manteno. Where each grade level had at least 120 students. Baseball and Basketball were crucial for me in my early years. It was how I became acquainted with most of my friends growing up in Manteno. If it wasn’t for competing on a team, I would have stayed timid for the rest of my life. With the confidence sports have gave me, I have been able to challenge myself to experience the world and all

Having grown up in the Tahoe Truckee area, my participation in athletics, and a multitude of other team based activities, have consumed a vast majority of my teenage life, and have aided in my finding a variety of things I am passionate about. These activities have taught me many important life skills that I am able to contribute to both the Team community and community as a whole. These competencies include a strong sense of leadership, accountability, a clear sense of self, and effective communication, all of which I utilize in my day to day life. These skills also provide me with the ability to set effective goals and accomplish them.

As we begin to form our self-managed work teams this week for the final report and presentation due at the end of session, I begin to reflect on the situations where I have had to be part of a group. Accordingly, past experiences have led me to form a generally negative viewpoint with regards teamwork in both the education and workplace setting. In most situations, group work is facilitated by a single leader responsible for ensuring that all members complete their work to the required standard. Nevertheless, this has lead to situations where team members often become unproductive or dysfunctional. For one thing, conflict – whether it be task or relational – arises between team members and leaders when they begin to feel that they are subject to the leader’s authoritarian behaviour or scrutiny. For another, the leaders responsible for the management of the group begin to feel underappreciated or dissatisfied with the levels of task productivity generated by group members. In stating this, I have experienced both sides of single leadership team management – with mostly disastrous results – where negative team performance ultimately reflected on assessment grades.