BE THE ONE!
This
season Relentless made a decision to BE THE ONE. We saw a need in Central Pa for a substantial
yet financially accessible club volleyball experience for girls. We could have sat back and asked, expected or
waited for someone else do it. But, much
like years ago when I helped introduce grassroots youth developmental
volleyball leagues into the area, it was time to BE THE ONE. Expanding from two 14U travel teams to six teams
ranging 12U-18U will stretch you. It will stretch your resources, personnel, patience,
resolve and sanity. Growth forces you to
learn, to invest, to delegate, to train and to trust! Bigger forces you to do more and be more, it
forces you to GROW!
Each player in our club has new challenges before them. None of our teams have played together as a
unit before. There are new players, new
coaches and new roles. Change is not
comfortable. Those who have been role
players in the past are now suddenly leaders. Many are for the first time playing
with kids who are mostly not from
their school. Some are playing new
positions.
My challenge to each of our players - BE THE ONE! Volleyball is one of the ultimate team sports.
However, don’t use the “team” as an excuse to shift blame and responsibility
onto someone else or onto the vague collective. A successful team is a powerful fusion of individuals
who each fully embrace and perform their individual jobs in unison for the good
of the whole. When you run… your heart
pumps the blood, your lungs feed it oxygen, your muscles move the legs and your
eyes see the path ahead. Each organ has
its own individual job yet they work together in unison to push the whole body
ahead. If the heart fails, the legs
cannot run and body falls to the ground.
Your heart has to be the one
to pump the blood. That is its job.
Your team is your
responsibility. It will become a reflection
of what you contribute. Maybe in times
past you could rely on someone else to take the lead. But now it is your
opportunity, your time to shine! You
cannot ride the coattails of those who carried your last team. There is no one
else to do your job. Your team NEEDS you
to do your job. Your team EXPECTS you to
do your job. Whether your team needs you
to get the kill, make the block, dig the shot, put up the set… you can’t wait
on someone else to save the day. You can do it! BE THE ONE!
Are your coaches or your teammates looking for perfection? No, that is an
impossible burden to put on yourself or anyone else. What we do want is that you own your role and
do it as well or better than you expect your teammates to do theirs. Don’t accept mediocrity or minimal effort from
yourself. If you want a better team, make yourself better. That will in turn make your team better. Look for the reasons why, not the excuses for
why not.
But what
if I fail? What if I don’t have the confidence to get the job done? No progress
comes without struggle. Work hard to
develop your skills which will increase both your confidence and your
competence. After all of this struggle
and hard work, what if we lose? To steal
upon the words of Teddy Roosevelt… at least fail while daring greatly, so that
your place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither
victory nor defeat! In
the process, you just might succeed!
EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE. COME OUT OF THE
SHADOWS! YOU DO IT. BE THE ONE!