Our Team, Our Family
by Maeve Wong (S4L) and Aradhana Upadhyay (S4M)
Many people think that joining a competitive sports team is daunting. The long, arduous hours of physically and mentally strenuous training sessions can sometimes be stressful and requires a lot of dedication. However, being part of the team does not just boil down to the training hours and the matches. It extends beyond those fields, teaching us not only about the sport but also about patience, consideration, and appreciation for each other.
There’s a sense of pride in being part of the U16G Volleyball team. Despite our unfortunate results, even the slightest mention of the U16G Volleyball team brings about feelings of nostalgia. The countless challenges we faced: from actively trying to integrate the two cohorts harmoniously, to fighting against our own negative mind set. It was only through profound support for one another, endless streams of encouragement and determination that we were able to overcome the setbacks. With each challenge we faced, the bonds between us strengthened. Each one of us helping the other to grow as we learnt to take each challenge in our stride and stay determined. These created a sense of pride in ourselves – for not giving up and continuously striving to do our best.
One incident that was particularly important to all of us was the discouragement and negativity we felt after losing our 4th match in a row. The result of the matches was not because of lack of practice, or the lack of talent at the sport. It was much rather the fact that we were overwhelmed by our opponents. The giant scoreboard which displayed our inevitable defeat the only things on our minds as we fought against the opposing team. We had stopped playing volleyball to gain experience, or to become better players and better people. The stress we felt from being in Division 1, along with the lack of confidence we had in ourselves drove the whole team into a pit of despair. Anger, mostly at ourselves, had consumed all of our minds. We thought that we had fought our hardest and done our best, but clearly even that was not enough.
The debriefing after the match was a quiet one, none of us wanting to acknowledge that we had lost terribly to the other team. The fact that we had let down our school and ourselves for the 4th time weighed down on our boneless bodies, pushing us further into the pits of negativity and self-hatred. It was only until our coach began speaking, that we finally realised the truth. She had presented the harsh reality to all of us, making sure as to not sugar-coat a single word that she spoke. She spoke of the importance of focusing on the game, and to gain back the lost points one by one. “What do the points matter when you’re not even putting in your all and giving it your best effort?” Her words had struck a chord within us. It was true that we had been too focused on the points, too caught up in trying to win that we had neglected our main goal. We were striving to become better players and people, not striving to win without learning anything. Although harsh, her words had managed to pull us out of our shells, forcing us to focus on our upcoming training session and to become stronger, both physically and mentally, as we fought through the rest of the games.
The experience we gained and the numerous life lessons that we learnt as we worked hard to become better players. Yes, in a sense, all of it was daunting. Each one of us facing personal struggles along the course of the season and eventually learning to face everything that we were going through together. As with all competitive sports, there were tears, there were smiles, but most importantly, we were able to learn and grow together. To be there for one another, to assist and motivate one another not only as a team, but as a family. Our family.
