I know we have all heard it before – there is no “I” in team.  Unfortunately, in this time of teams for everything and the more teams you are on the “cooler” as a teen you seem, there is definitely a “me” in team.

Let’s look at two different teen-age girls.  Both are headed to Division 1 schools in the fall to play soccer.  Girl 1 has to babysit the night before an early game.  The game is to start at 8 am.  She knows that this particular babysitting job, an annual celebration, will be a late one.  She gets home at 3:30 am the morning of the game from her babysitting job and asks what time the mother and daughter need to leave for the game in the morning.  She goes to the game, even though it doesn’t “really count” as it is a scrimmage.  She goes to the game, even though she is very tired from babysitting five children under 11 the night before for 9 hours.  She goes to the game, even though she would rather be sleeping as she has to work at noon.

Girl 2 goes out with friends/boyfriend on the night before the game.  She does not get home as early as she should.  Prior to the team taking the field at the game, girl 2 – who is still home in bed – gets a call from a teammate or two.    Girl 2 says she is tired because she stayed out too late last night and isn’t going to come.

I don’t want to recount the yelling at screaming at girl 1’s house on that game morning to get her moving.  I would love to say that girl 1 should have thought more of herself but soccer is a team sport.  It is not one of those sports where the individual competes but there is a team score at the end.  A team plays on the pitch the entire time.

Just what have these two girls been taught “team” means?