Why I Want To Become Co-Captain

I want to be an ACTION captain because I want to help build a stronger, safer community and provide people with the same opportunities that I have had growing up here in Okemos. I believe a few qualities that I display will show why I want to put so much dedication into the betterment of this community and hopefully impact the lives of many people on a larger scale as well. My first characteristic is one of leadership. Last year, I chose not to apply for an ACTION captain because I felt that I was lacking what I needed to be an effective leader. Over the past year, after having volunteered at numerous events held by ACTION, I feel like I know the responsibilities and the hard work that needs to be put in to make the big impacts that ACTION

Although I had only participated in the school Cross Country team for two years, I felt very connected to the team and wish I had participated my sophomore and freshmen year as well. Over the two seasons, I have made many great friends and learned the importance of working hard to achieve my goals. Throughout my life, my parents have pushed me academically, but never really encouraged me to try hard in sports or physical activities. Cross country filled that void for me and helped me become a more well-rounded person.

However, when we talk about youth sports, our main concern is with providing players with a positive, character building experience. Winning is not the only acceptable outcome for youth players, and coaches need to understand this principle. “With a winning philosophy young athletes may lose out on opportunities to develop their skills, to enjoy participation, and to grow socially and emotionally. Well informed coaches realize that success is not equivalent to winning games, and failure is not the same as losing.” (Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports, 15)

As Vice-President of my student council, I am constantly cooperating with my peers to plan events for the school and community outreach fundraisers. It is not without their approval that I maintain my position today, and together we work cohesively to donate thousands of dollars to local and state causes. Additionally, they help me realize shortcomings so that I may learn from them and improve myself in time to come. During my role with student council, along with captainships in my school track and cross-country teams, I am granted the chance to display servant leadership to better the respective parties. Positions as such require cooperation on many fronts and communication from coaches, athletes, students, and administrators. Among these is the necessity to draw lines. While working as a captain for my team, it follows that the team is my top priority. In team

Coaches have a profound impact on their players not only with their words, but with their actions. Coaches have the power and influence to lead their players to become more sportsmanlike by modeling ethical and moral behavior. Coaches have the duty and responsibility to be role models for the athletes. Matheny (2015) states, “We’ve been given the rare privilege and heavy responsibility of influencing young people on a daily basis, for better or for worse, for the rest of their lives” (p. 53). Coaches need to take this responsibility seriously and model ethical behavior at all times.

Parents often have concerns for how coaches treat their young athletes, but most coaches are the best character role models that a child will have. As David Brooks, author of the article “Organized Sports Can Benefit Children”, says “Coaches have become the leading moral instructors in America today.” (Brooks). Groups like The Positive Coaching Alliance exist solely to keep coaches doing their job of creating mature and respectful athletes (Positive). Children need these positive role models in their lives. Even if a child has great role models as parents, it is even better to have one outside of the family. A coach can serve as someone that kids should admire, love, and respect even though they are outside of their family; this will prepare children for their future of dealing with

Supportiveness was another thing I worked on in both track and cross country. Cheering the athletes on and staying positive were just a few of the ways I supported the members of both teams. I aimed to show every athlete that their value was not determined by their personal record, or how well they did at a meet, but rather by what characteristics they brought to the team.

Kinner set up the teams and reminded the students that when you are on a team it is good team work to make sure everyone gets a chance to play. He talked to all the classes about being a ball hog and how that was not sportsman like conduct. He explained that in team sports, everyone works together to accomplish a goal. He explained whether your team wins or loses as you should always be encouraging to your teammates and to the other team. He modeled good sportsmanship by having the teams meet in the middle of the court to high give and say “Good Game.” I was surprised at how reluctant the students were to show good sportsmanship in this fashion. They were very competitive and they argued over every point. Mr. Kinner explained to me that as these student progress in their chosen sport the competitive streak gets stronger because not everyone get a trophy for winning or good sportsmanlike conduct. Your team is either the winning team with the trophy or the loosing team. It seems more prevalent with the boys, but I was seeing with some of the

As voted captain on Hampton-Dumont's athletic teams, I discovered the value of communication, unity, perseverance, and passion. Leaders are only successful if they have followers. I have come to know that every individual has a gift to contribute. Every role is vital. My teammates trust me because I value the individual and withhold judgement. I genuinely care about each and every girl, regardless of who she is or where she's come from. I seek and expect the best out of everyone, and when you do that, anything is possible. With this leadership style, each of our school athletic teams became cohesive and united. It became less about me and more about friends with true commitment to each other who focus on the big picture of teamwork.

Unlike some, my teams have had losing records since I was a Sophomore in High School. For the past 8 seasons, while my teams struggled, I have learned to maintain a positive attitude and a strong work ethic. I strove to perform to the best of my ability and dedicated myself to self-improvement to make a valuable contribution to my team, no matter the score. While I was proud to have earned All-Conference honors all four years of my college athletic career, I believe that my greatest accomplishment was the way my hard work positively impacted the culture of the teams that I was a part of.

As a Junior Varsity captain, I am determined to lead my team and help build a strong bond between us like a family. In order to build this bond, I am ready to take on the responsibility and dedication to prove my leadership. I am willing to go the extra mile to be very helpful and encouraging so that my team succeeds. I will provide a welcoming environment, confidence, motivation, and the will to accomplish our goals. My task of building morale will be challenging but by being a positive role model for my teammates, I know I can achieve this goal. I am excited for the new year and the new team as I know that it is going to be an amazing and successful year. Thank you for considering me as a JV

Throughout my time as a high school student, I have learned the importance of sportsmanlike behavior. While participating in athletic and academic programs, I have found that good sportsmanship is what makes a good program and a good student-athlete. It requires you to not only look out for yourself but also to look out for the well-being of others, both on your team and on the opposing team. It is important to possess positive sportsmanship because you learn to care for and help others regardless of differences, which is a quality that is beneficial in an academic setting, athletics, and life as a whole. During my high school career, I have demonstrated good sportsmanship while participating in various extracurricular activities, such as the National Honor Society, diversity club, rocket cheerleading, track, competitive cheer, and sideline cheer.

“Leadership lessons and social skills you learn from playing team sports can help you become a better worker.” according to Richard Chole, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the American Board of Otolaryngology. Professional athletes know what it’s like to work under pressure. There are enormous stakes, lots of people are watching. The investment in time, talent, money, and reputation is ever-present. They have to check anxieties and injuries at the door to stay calm, cool, and collected. If one player loses his or her composure, the efforts of the rest are squandered. Nothing’s more valued in today’s stressful business climate than a level head. “Athletes learn time-management skills by necessity,” says Gillespie. “Athletes can spend their time in four ways: sport, study, socialize and sleep. And it's only physically possible to do three of those things, unless you were born on Krypton. They've been forced to learn teamwork under great pressure, which is more beneficial to the students than even some other organizations such as drama or debate team. Athletes can take orders and do not argue when told what to do.” Gillespie says many of his favorite students are athletes for this reason alone. “They're not shy, and they're not shy about telling other people what to do, I don't know if I would call that leadership," Gillespie says. "But it's very difficult to get students to constructively criticize others. But it's

In middle school I was that one girl who read in the bathroom instead of eating or going outside to play. As the years flew by and I went to high school I’d managed to make a handful of friends. My sister being in her last year she wanted to try sports and made me join the soccer team with her. In joining soccer I made new friends, it encouraged me to do well in class, and the girls drew me out of my shell. I, the shy bookworm who read in the bathroom stalls, was chosen to lead the JV team, in my second year. As the seasons passed and I was chosen as Captain, I learned to be a leader. All in all, being a leader in any sport, project, or activity really gives someone a rush to be better, and it created one out of shy

For a majority of my life, I’ve been involved in sports. I can even remember when I played on my first team, the time my father first enrolled me on my first T-ball league. There are pictures in our family photo album of me holding a basketball at an age even younger than when I played in the T-ball league, shooting it into a Mattel© basketball hoop. Throughout the years, I’ve played on various sports teams from little league baseball, YMCA basketball, high school football, and even a high-status volleyball team during my time in the Marine Corps. I love sports and the team concept; in fact, a majority of my friends played in some type of league, or were former teammates of my own.