When I joined the varsity volleyball team in ninth grade, I was shy and saw myself more as a follower than a leader. As the singular freshman on the team, it was only my love for the sport and will to better my skills that uncharacteristically pushed me into the challenge. Fortunately, my teammates were more outgoing than I, and welcomed me. The captains were my role models, despite believing I would most likely never be like them. I believed the position of captain had to be someone with tremendous volleyball skill, capable of instructing many people, and constant strength. Over the following four years, my conception of leadership evolved. In ninth and tenth grade, our team won very few games. As such a small school, everyone expected …show more content…
Consequently, my definition of leadership was very different than four years prior. One of the most important characteristics of a leader is the ability to teach, and then immediately lead from behind offering assistance when needed. Because our team was very young this year, I often would demonstrate a volleyball skill or play, and then stand back to watch my teammates learn and practice. In addition, I’ve learned that having someone who is always supportive and able to lift spirits is essential to playing well as a team, so I was determined to be that person, and hopefully inspire others to do the same. Having experienced both repetitive losses and the crushing of certainty, I searched to find a happy medium. With this in mind, I advised my teammates to play every point in every game as if it was the final point. We played this way when we won the County championship, then the Long Island championship, up until the New York State championship, where we were unfortunately outmatched. I was more than honored to have led my team to the States, and so proud of my teammates. In my final year, it is important to leave something behind on the team. What I tried to leave behind with every girl was knowledge of their own leadership capabilities. Through every success and failure I experienced as a captain, I learned that you cannot have followers that you lead, but rather teammates that you grow
One of my biggest accomplishments in leadership is being a varsity cheerleader at Conner High School. During my time as a freshman, i looked up to the varsity cheerleaders as they guided and taught the junior varsity and freshmen teams. This past year was my turn to teach cheers at practice, organize the chaos at games, and most importantly
I have volunteered to tutor my teammates so that they can achieve the 2.3 GPA grade mark to play during season, I have organized player only practices, I have scheduled player only meetings to discuss the necessity of supporting our teammates through our words and actions, I have scheduled team-bonding activities such as dinner, movies, and bowling, and I have scheduled baseball team school clean-up days so that the reputation of the baseball team could start to improve. All of this has taught me that leadership is essential to how a group of people, no matter what circumstance, performs, communicates, and acts. The most inspirational quote that speaks volumes to me and has affected my leadership style is from the one and only William Arthur Ward. He says, Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation.” For the rest of my life I aim to inspire others without domination others and to push for cooperation with every member of any team I will be assembled with. I thank God everyday for the talents he gave me to play baseball because I truly believe he inspired me to play baseball in order to learn this
When I found out that I was one of the captains of the Varsity Sideline team, I had a beaming smile and felt satisfied with my achievement. As captain, cheerleaders on the varsity and the JV squads come to me with questions and small issues, and I enjoy the opportunity to help them. I have become even more organized and mature because the coach looks to me for help. Being selected as lead captain has had many rewards, it gave me a boost of confidence and inspired me to campaign for other leadership
These past two years I’ve seen good and bad leaders and both serve as a good reminder at what to do and what not to do. I’ve been lead by people who don 't really care to be in this program and my skills as a player and a team member did not improve. But i 've also been lead by p...
Growing up in a rough neighborhood, positive role models were not present in my everyday life. Fortunately, I created a personal understanding of what it took to be a true leader when Marcelo Neveleff became my coach. Coach Marcelo was my club soccer coach throughout my teenage years, and Marcelo demonstrated three key tenets that made me realize what it took to be a great leader. From his guidance and inspiration, I have drawn that in order to become a successful leader, I must be goal oriented through determination within myself by leading from the front. This reflects that there is a specific goal that I, as a leader, must be willing to reach that will inspire others to do the same. To become a successful leader, I must also be empathetic
As a college basketball player, I learned that being an effective leader did not mean that I had to be a constant bundle of energy. Rather, I realized over time it is more important to understand your teammates and what makes them tick, and to translate that knowledge into separate leadership styles to match each individual. This is crucial when working with an extremely diverse group of attitudes, personalities, and mindsets. I believe people would describe my style as steady, positive, and upbeat – opposite of my head coach in many ways. Countless times I would pull a teammate aside who had been berated and explain in a constructive
I believe that leadership is an important skill to have, especially when teamwork is involved. Over the many years that I have played, I wanted the team to be really close. I thought that in order to be successful we must all treat each other like we wanted to be treated. The experience of being around the girls and coaches on my team made me feel like they were my second family. I would spend almost the same amount of time around them as I would my own family at home. I am extremely thankful that I have friends on the team and it is an honor for me to be one of their leaders.
The qualities I have developed on the tennis team have helped me become a better team member and individual. I now find myself volunteering more in my community to provide an example of never giving up and with the realization that someone is always there to help when you need help. Every day I am reminded that I could have given up. But I didn’t and that is what made me a stronger person to go forth and fulfill my dreams and
Involvement in marching band, field hockey, and various other activities has given me many opportunities to show leadership. My first leadership opportunity was in eighth grade when I became a WEB leader. While I was a WEB leader, I helped incoming sixth graders get adjusted to middle school life and find their classes on the first day. I also met up with the sixth graders in my group once a month at lunch and got to know them while I asked how school was going and helped them with any issues they had. In marching band, this past season I was a marching captain for my section. I helped the freshmen learn to march, demonstrated proper marching techniques for others, and gave advice to anyone having trouble with part of our marching show. At the start of field hockey season I showed leadership by helping new players learn to play field hockey by demonstrating how
My coaches inspire me everyday to be the best softball player I can possibly be and to sacrifice everything for the sake of the game. They always help me find the extra energy I did not know I had. This meaning that if I feel defeated or if I feel like I can not go anymore, my coaches are there to inspire me to keep going. One of my coaches has won several state championships, and this inspires me to work hard, so I can be on one of these amazing teams. Another coach of mine is going to college to be a physical therapist. This inspires me to not only do well in softball, but it inspires me to succeed academically as well. Secondly, leadership is also something that could represent the Vandebilt softball field because it is something that I have learned to respect. Although my team does not have very many seniors, they have done an amazing job of leading the team. To be a leader, one must be respectful and assertive, but they also have to be kind and compassionate to others. I feel like the seniors this year have done a great job at leading the team and helping us do well this season. They have shown us how to improve in every part of the game and how to improve as people. They have inspired us to step up and never give
As well as being dedicated to be at all the team’s events, the captain must have the commitment to know all the plays and roles of all the positions. He or she is the key person that everyone looks up to; if someone is confused about a play, they must be able to go to his or her captain and find the answer they are looking for. The captain must be available before and after the practice to answer any questions put forward by his or her team mates (Brearley, 2000). The captain should be like an instruction manual for anyone who needs it, he or she will help show and tell others how to do a job.
For many years, I have been told by teachers, family, and friends that I am a good leader. Until fairly recently, I had never truly thought about what it means to be a good leader and just took it as a compliment. Leadership is an intangible concept which cannot be properly outlined in a dictionary, but one which must be formed and explained only through one’s own philosophies and experiences.
Being a leader in almost any given situation has been an innate quality that I have possessed for as long as I can remember. I have always found myself nominating myself for leadership positions. My most recent and fulfilling leadership position was in my eleventh and twelfth grade school years when I held the position of Drum Major for Purnell Swett High School’s Marching Rams. Being in this position meant that I had to give up the spotlight of performance, turn my back to the crowd, and lead my fellow band members on and off of the field of competition, high school football games, and community parades. Over the course of these two years, I have learned many defining qualities about myself and have learned how to incorporate these newly learned and innate qualities into my everyday life.
It was at this moment that I realized that there truly is no “I” in team. A team is not characterized by the individuals within, but rather what the individuals can come together to achieve. For so long I had tried to discover where I belonged on the team. In reality, I should have realized that from the moment I stepped on the court, I was already a member of the varsity team. With a newfound sense of strength, we continued the game. Every single point we won felt like we were putting our lives on the line, while every single point we lost felt like ten-ton chains were holding us down. Even so, it was just another volleyball game. One I had experienced on multiple occasions, perhaps not to the same magnitude, but it was a relatively familiar situation. Strangely, it felt different. I felt more relaxed, more confident, and I was having more fun. At the time, I was not sure what it came from. I was too focused on finishing out the game to pay it much attention. But reflecting on it now, I realize that without a doubt, it was because I truly felt like I belonged on the team. For the first time, I knew that my team was behind me, ready to help me up whenever I fell. We continued on with the game. Despite being down two sets to one at one point, we now found ourselves nearing victory in the fifth set. Finally, we were able to overcome the opponent to win the match three sets to two and secure the second SPC championship for Greenhill Boys Volleyball in three
During our tennis season in the fall, our team participates in many competitions. I try to encourage my teammates to keep this same attitude to always give their absolute hardest on the court during competitions, as well as during practice. I learned this year as captain, that a group of individuals, united by a common goal and drive, can accomplish great achievements. We fought hard and made it to the Regional Semifinals, and completed our season ranked as the number six team in the state of Texas.