There’s no “i” in team, or is there?
Lacrosse player Zeke Winkelvoss, golfer Elle Nolan and wrestler and football player Tristan DePhillips, all have different experiences as athletes at Upper Arlington High School. Whether on a field, mat or green, surrounded by teammates, or all alone, each player values their lessons learned and takes them into daily life.
Winkelvoss devotes most of his time to playing lacrosse. As a varsity captain and future Division I athlete committed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Winkelvoss values his talent and pushes himself to be the best player he can be. Game skill is important, but Winkelvoss also recognizes life skills he can apply to more than just lacrosse.
“[Playing lacrosse gives me] a better ability to work with people [and] communicate,” Winkelvoss said. “Most jobs you work with people, so [being on a team sport] can help you with social skills.”
When playing with a team on the field, trust is one of the most valued parts of lacrosse. Without trust in your teammates, it may be harder to succeed which can overall hurt the team’s performance.
“You’re one of 10 people out on a field at a time so, you have to rely on everyone because if someone messes up then that messes up [the connection] for everyone,” Winkelvoss said.
Upper Arlington High School’s men’s lacrosse team prioritizes a family atmosphere in their program. The program’s saying, “3132”, is a way to express a sense of togetherness and family. The saying honors two alumni players wearing jerseys No. 31 and No. 32 who passed away from brain cancer.
“[3132] is a bond between everyone who has ever come through our program, alumni and people now, it’s a way for everyone to come together… [and] express that we’re a family, it’s more than just lacrosse,” Winkelvoss said.
Being a part of a team means there is a system of support between the players and coaches, especially when things get tough.
“If someone makes a mistake, [it’s important] to help that person… we say you just got to focus on the future, so next play mentality, you can’t let the last play get in your head,” Winkelvoss said. “A lot of the time it’s your teammates telling you [that]… it’s hard for you to do that by yourself.”
While Winkelvoss competes in a team environment and appreciates the 3132 family as an outlet of support, Nolan has a different experience in her sport.
[In golf], you’re competing with yourself, the only person you’re talking to is yourself, it’s so hard to bring yourself up from a bad shot or a bad round,” Nolan said.
In order to keep a positive mindset while playing through hardships, Nolan explained her sense of motivation.
“I tell myself, this is your game, there’s nobody else in it but you,” Nolan said. “I just try to tell myself not to get stuck on any past shots.”
Though Winkelvoss is on the field with 10 other players, Nolan is often alone on the green. She has had to learn how to create a positive mindset when she is alone in a match.
“[I’ve learned] patience… [and] keeping myself in check, making sure I’m not getting upset or overly upset about something that has happened [in the past],” Nolan said.
Winkelvoss focuses on lacrosse and Nolan focuses on golf, but DePhillips participates in both football and wrestling. DePhillips described how being involved in both an individual sport and team sport allows him to understand both learning aspects each sport can expose.
“[Team sports] might give you more social skills because you’re around a lot more people, but wrestling might teach you how to make those connections with those people,” DePhillips said.
After competing both individually and collaboratively, DePhillips developed an understanding of the different challenges each sport presents.
“An individual sport is more pressure, because it relies more on yourself and you can’t put weight on other people. It’s a lot more work to put in [compared] to a team sport,” DePhillips said.
DePhillips acknowledges the importance of teammates through the support he received during the football season. Similar to both Winkelvoss and Nolan, DePhillips also recognizes the importance of focusing on the future and not getting upset with past mistakes.
“If you make a bad play in football and then you go back to the huddle and they know about it, they’re there to pick you up, and [my coach] always says just worry about the next play, because he just doesn’t want us to get in our head about it,” DePhillips said.
As well as coach feedback, teammate input and advice is just as important to DePhillips.
“[A teammate], this one practice [said] don’t listen to the tone, listen to the message, that just has stuck with me,” DePhillips said.
