Team Talk
December 7, 2024
Over the past couple of months, EMXC did a fun, 3-week “team talks” series, with the goal of defining the atmosphere we want to cultivate as a team this season! Each week, we gathered as a team to have valuable conversations about why we love skiing and the things that make our team and sport so special.
In the first session, coaches Chris and Avery came up with questions for the athletes to discuss and write about. Among others, questions included “What makes EMXC awesome? What about EMXC are you most proud of? How do you want to show up as a teammate to others? How do you want your teammates to show up for you?” Athletes had some thoughtful answers and it was really fun to hear everyone putting into words just how great and supportive our team is!
For session two, the coaches collected the athletes’ notes from session one and broke them into themes/categories. Paraphrased by Chris and Avery, there were 9 “phrases” that came out of the athletes’ conversations:
Set big goals and work together to achieve them. Celebrate hard work, push one another, and cheer for each other’s progress. Skiing is a team sport.
Welcome everyone. Do things with teammates and meet new friends. Go out of the way to spend time together outside of practice. Our team is our community.
Practice a growth mindset. Make a habit of finding learning opportunities everywhere. Cultivate the process.
Listen with an open heart and mind. Make space for honest conversations.
Show up with energy that welcomes and encourages your teammates. Make practices a highlight of everyone’s day. When training is fun, we all ski faster.
Be a healthy student-athlete. Honor mental well-being, nutrition, sleep, and recovery as essential to physical fitness and to academic success.
Be an exemplary teammate. Demonstrate respect for the sport, coaches and teammates. Support each other, mentor younger members, and help organize team activities. Take initiative to make things better.
Find joy in being outside. Be adventurous and make the most of the Eastern Mass and New England environment.
The skiers got to choose the phrases that resonated most with them and they ultimately narrowed it down to phrases number 1, 6, and 8.
For our third and final session, the athletes got to put these concepts back into their own words. The team got together and the athletes got to craft a team vision statement using their favorite 3 phrases.
Our new vision statement is:
“Embrace the moment and your surroundings; trust your process in its entirety. Be the reason someone shows up to practice. EMXC is a team.”