“Nice assist!” “Pass the ball!” –familiar quotes yelled by almost every coach I’ve had in the past.

As a kid, I enjoyed playing as many sports as possible. Whether it was soccer or basketball, I was usually the star of the team. Because of t hat, it was a big challenge for me to not disrespect the coaches or do my own thing. Playing on some sort of team as a kid really helps you develop as a person.

Being on a team gets you used to working with other people as a team. It seemed like whatever team I was on, there was always a hot shot kid who always took the ball up the floor, dribbled around, then threw up some crazy shot that hardly ever went in. Also, there is no “I” in team. That means that you are not the only person. There are other people to pass to, not just yourself. When you pass the ball, there are some different things you can do. For example, a give and go. You pass the ball, make a move, and then cut up the field/court.

Playing a role on a team makes you respect authorities such as the referees and your coach. If you don’t respect either of these people, you could be on the bench, in the coach’s “dog house”, or worse, kicked out of the game. Another thing that is bad for your team is that if you go and do your own thing, you cold screw up the game plan.

When I was a kid playing these sports, I never once thought about how playing on a team was going to help me in the long run. I just thought it was fun running around field/court. That has changed a lot since then. Teams are the best way to learn the aspects of collaborating with others and respecting authorities. If you had a child that was basically a mini Tiger Woods, you still ought to get them involved in a team sport just to help them mature as a young man/woman. Evidence of that change is when I got to middle school, I had to not only respect the coaches, but the 7th and 8th graders on the team as well.

By being on a team when I was young, I truly believe that it has helped me become a better person and athlete. Because of that experience, it helps me everyday at school working in groups, and everyday playing sports with other people. This will also help me as I get older and get a job working with people and working for someone. I also strongly believe that every young boy or young girl should be on some kind of team. Whether it is a sport, a play, a backstage crew, etc., they all involve people working together to achieve a common goal. . Even if they are not the best asset to the team, it is still good for them in the long run.