Lessons Learned Through Sport

Growing up, I found a passion for several sports, particularly soccer and hockey. Due to my diverging interests, I would disrupt my soccer season so that I could play hockey during the winter when I should have played soccer year-round. Throughout the hockey season, my teammates who were still playing soccer would develop their skills, build trust, and solidify their roles on the team. Each year, I would return to a new team with an enhanced roster, improved players, and often a new coach.

Confliction Arises

 It was difficult to return to the team because I constantly thought I was falling behind. The mechanisms behind skating and running are very different because the conditioning I had developed for hockey was not equally transferable to soccer. Since I had not been practicing with the team for months, my touch on the ball was poor, and my conditioning was subpar, which made me feel I did not belong. The physical aspects of play seeped into my mental state because I could see that the trust I  gained from my teammates was deteriorating, which led me to believe that my coach felt the same way. 

Finding Inspiration

It was difficult with new coaches because I had to prove that I was better than the starting players they already preferred. After all, their skill sets readily fit into their existing play system. Many kids quit sports in the face of obstacles such as these, I had even more reason to because I was a multi-sport athlete, but as Michael Phelps once said, "There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits." I relate to this quote because just as he did, I had obstacles, I had doubters, and I made mistakes, but by enduring these hardships at a young age, I learnt the lesson of perseverance.

Challenge

Confronted with the reality that challenge builds character, and life does not always give you what you want. The only way to get what you want is if you work for it. This realization made it easier for me to see that my self-deprecation was a result of my belief that I was already worthy of a team position, although I hadn't worked as hard as the other guys. My fresh perspective directed my attention elsewhere, which allowed me to approach the game with humility as a result of this discovery. I decided to work hard to make up for lost time rather than act immaturely. By persistently working through my mistakes, regardless of whether I was receiving criticism from coaches or teammates, this novel attitude taught me perseverance. Young athletes could also aspire to achieve their goals by training at Insideout Studio with the athlete training program!

Lessons Applied

An example which reflects my learning experience is my play for Team Canada. I was new to the team and had issues adapting and understanding the system that our coach wanted us to play. Since I didn’t understand the system, I often misunderstood my role on the team, frustrating me and making me think that the system was foolish. We played in an indoor league during the winter while our opponents were grown men. This, was an entirely new experience for me as it was my first time playing in a winter league and my first time playing against adults. As a defender who likes to utilize his strength, I struggled, and I felt as though the coach would sub me out whenever I made a mistake. This prompted me to play with fear however, the lessons from my childhood helped me to discard this fear and instead replace it with grit and determination. Humility allowed me to understand that my fearful approach was fuelled by frustration and anger. It wasn’t helping me get minutes because I needed to humble myself and work hard. I accepted the system, discovered its ways, and worked hard at practice to earn my spot at the Maccabi Games. Throughout the tournament, I stuck to the lessons learnt through sports emphatic virtue, kept an upbeat attitude, and led by example with my hard work. I received greater playing time and a legitimate starting position as the tournament went on, which boosted my confidence and enabled me to fully assume my leadership role on the squad. By the end of the tournament, the lessons learnt from my childhood propelled me from being a fringe starter to being appointed captain of the team.

By: G.Modolfsky