“There is no I in team;” a popular saying told throughout time. There cannot be a team if players play individually at practices and in games. Players need trust within each other to be successful in their sport and there must be a level of understanding between all athletes. One of the best ways for teammates to build that relationship is through team bonding. Team bonding is activities players do outside of practice and games, whether that is a team dinner, a run or all going to a movie, team bonding has been shown to create a bond that so many teams strive for.
Many teams at Fauquier High School are successful because of the bond that the athletes share. The Girls Field Hockey team is a great example. The girls are doing very well in their season and Senior Zoe Corboy says, “Having that bond with each other definitely shows on the field.” Senior basketball player, Michael McAuliffe, added, “Practice seems like less of a chore when you get more enjoyment out of it [with your fellow teammates.]”
Team bonding is not just for sports where there are multiple athletes playing at once. Wrestling is a great example of a sport that would benefit from team bonding, even though the wrestlers are not together on that mat. Junior Brian Bland says, “Team bonding is where a team can come together and have chemistry with each other and not just in the wrestling room but carrying [those relationships] into the real world.”
Team bonding has proven to be such a powerful factor in team success. Without the trust that forms in and out of practices, athletes will have a hard time working together and living up to their potential.
