WHAT’S IN A TEAM?
BY JERRY BOUMA
What does it mean to be part of a team? This question suddenly posed to me by my long-time friend and former Villanova teammate Russ Ebbets the day I learned he was submitting to surgery to remove a brain tumour. It struck me that Russ's question arose in his hour of greatest need.
Without question, he was at his most vulnerable. Would he survive? Would he emerge ever to be the same again? I could discern by his question, that this was a time when he needed to know that he was not alone. That his life's work (and struggles) had not been in vain. He needed to know that he was part of a team!
So let's first address the more fundamental question: What makes a team?
My thoughts moved quickly to paraphrase the 'team' question to a question posed by Shakespeare. "What's in a name that a rose known by any other would smell as sweet? An then to my own experience of the Villanova track team 50 years ago.
So, what's in a team: that a group of athletes bound together for a short period of time, as students--3 to 4 years at the most --and in our case, who continue to gather on an annual basis some 40, 50, or even 60 years later? In deed what does it mean to be part of that sort of team?
The factors are many. And complex. Nor are any two situations or cohort ever quite the same. Track &field (athletics) is such a unique sport--and arguably the ultimate paradox--a sport defined by supreme individualism yet producing star performers shaped within a team environment whose bonds endure the years and the generations.
The more obvious reasons are rooted in that common purpose, a culture of winning, the shared experience, the fighting of tough battles together, not unlike "Band of Brothers'" in a wartime. And fused by the many miles run together,the gruelling interval workouts; the critical hills in the various loops that broke even the best runners among us.
Add to this mix, the unique Villanova experience of "indoors yet outdoors": those winter workouts on the "Boards" --our 11 laps to the mile track set up on the football practice field. Ofttimes covered with snow, wrapped with a wicked west wind on a cold January day.
And the meals together, the rooming together, the classes together, the lonely weekends together when the campus emptied except for us non-locals or foreign athletes who came from too far away to even consider a trip home......
But it is more than that! For that matter, many teams experience the thrill of winning a big race, a relay, a championship and even generate a star in their midst for a period of time. But is that enough to generate the continued gathering that defines the Villanova Team experience who come together year after year?
So what's this more? It is indeed a merger of special ingregients. Perhaps it is the type of athlete who was recruited in the first place; or that one start who really cared about his teammates and established the essential "caring" dynamic which then passed from cohort to cohort.
Or maybe it requires a process cemented by a certain "cultural dissonance" or an element of adversity that needed to be overcome (albeit subconsciously). Again, Villanova was powerfully influenced by the legendary Irish pipeline--and more precisely, a Dublin-Cork axis. Most came from modest backgrounds, who found themselves immersed in totally different middle to upper-class society-- face to face with the American Dream in full measure, seeing and knowing that this was their opportunity to succeed. The pressure was on!
Interestingly, that same dissonance factor was manifested within the Western Kentucky University team with a decided British-Bristol factor; or the East Tennessee team which also had that Irish influence although different than Villanova, defined by a west Ireland Limerick-Leitrim dimension.
To be sure, the stars emerged as the team leaders, setting the tone and holding court. But these stars would readily cite the support of their teammates for their success. Teammates who toiled in relative obscurity to grind out the miles and the repeat intervals only to be surpassed time and time again by their more talented counterparts. But not forgotten.
As the years passed and athletic performance became a more distant memory, the allure and influence of the stars would be balanced by other team members who took up the mantle of leadership. Sometimes this would be the third or fourth man on a relay team. Sometimes this was someone who never made any of the teams--track, relay or cross-country. But always someone who knew the value of team; of loyalty; of culture; and fully appreciated the lifelong impact of the team experience. So back to the question: What does it mean to be part of a team?
Being part of a team is being part of a distinct culture—a culture that
embraces you and a culture that you are proud to pass on.
Being part of a team is having a clear, common goal.
• Being part of a team is having leaders to look up to.
• Being part of a team is going to the cafeteria knowing that no
matter what day or time, there is a seat for you at the ‘track’ table.
• Being part of a team is being given a hard time and taking it with a smile.
• Being part of a team is giving a teammate a hard time, all the while keeping a smile.
• Being part of a team is having to listen for the 100th time to a
teammate’s regaling how great his high school two-mile relay team was.
• Being part of a team is when a teammate notices that you are avoiding practice and asking if something is wrong.
• Being part of a team is jogging your first 50 meters after a serious
injury and to hear the supporting shout of a teammate.
• Being part of a team is having a teammate to help you out when
you are struggling with a course and need a lending hand.
• Being part of a team is seeing a teammate, whose grief-stricken face tells you that he just received the news that he lost his mother and spending the morning with him.
• Being part of a team is responding when one of your teammates is struggling with a brain tumour and asks you to write something about “being part of a team”.
Jerry Bouma was a middle distance runner for Villanova in the 70’s. He has had a long career as a management consultant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Thank you, Jerry. This essay is going to touch the hearts and memories of all of our readers. George
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