(15, CA, USA) Megan - One Rope, One Team
One Rope, One Team
Basketball players often work out with personal trainers, focus on individual skills, and spend hours shooting, but this isn’t what makes a good team great. A team with five amazing, talented players who play individually could still lose to a team with five less talented players who play together as a unit. We often overlook the value of teamwork. Teamwork taught me the importance of trust, communication, and mutual support—lessons that will stay with me long after high school.
From my first basketball practice, I learned the value of teamwork. During this practice, we didn’t touch the ball once. We didn’t touch the court. We never took a shot. Our coach took us outside onto the football field and told us to close our eyes. We had one rope that held us together. Each of us, gripping the rope, wondered what was next. Our coach explained, “You guys need to do two laps around the track while holding onto the rope.” We all laughed and giggled, “That’s so easy!” we said. Our coach added, “But only 10 feet can touch the ground at once.” There were 10 of us, which meant a total of 20 feet—double the amount allowed to touch the ground.
We planned for each of us to hop on one leg around the track. Halfway around, we were all exhausted. We made it back to the starting line in 4 minutes and 28 seconds. “That’s 2 minutes and 28 seconds over your goal. Try again,” our coach said. We hopped around the track again and made it back in 4 minutes and 46 seconds—more than our original time! We decided to change our strategy. Instead of individually hopping on one leg, we would carry each other on our backs, and the people being carried could hold onto the rope.
Third time’s the charm! We ran around the track, determined to beat our goal. As we crossed the finish line, our coach yelled, “1 minute and 49 seconds!” We all hugged each other, jumping up and down, celebrating. This taught me the importance of teamwork. Even if we each hopped as fast as we could, we would’ve never been able to beat the time we got when we worked together. Our coach gathered us in a huddle and explained the value of teamwork. He had us stand in a circle, each holding a part of the rope. Then he took out a pair of scissors and cut the rope into pieces, each of us holding onto a piece. He explained that there will be moments in basketball when we make mistakes, but by holding the rope, we can overcome those challenges.
