I watched as our 4×100 meter relay team fought for the Championship Title at our Conference meet my senior year in track and field. They were defending champions of the title, ranked first in the Nation for DIII, and it was two weeks before the National Championships.
They ran smooth, efficient, and mastered their handoffs. Maya, the anchor, powered down the home stretch far from the rest. I watched as she missed a step, losing speed and momentum, and fell to the ground.
“Oh no, I think she pulled her hamstring again! Two weeks until Nationals, what are you going to do?” I gasped to Coach.
“Well, we need someone fast, strong, and experienced,” Coach said.
“Definitely, who are you thinking about putting in?” I asked while considering teammates who would be up for the challenge.
“I was thinking you,” Coach said looking straight at me.
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Throughout college, I was fortunate to have accumulated numerous All-Americans, school records, and 5 National Championship titles. I’ve seen other teams who had great skill, speed, and technique but fall short of experiencing the success that I was able to have. What makes the difference though?
Trust.
One simple word, but a word that makes a tremendous difference between winning and losing. The 5 National Championship titles, school records, and All-Americans I accumulated was not because of my speed and skill alone. It was because I trusted and was trusted by others to perform at my greatest abilities. All of the National Championship titles were earned from relays. The first 4 were from the 4×400 meter relay and our success was from having a group of athletes who wholeheartedly and 100% trusted each person’s leg to do what needed to be done. We ran together regularly and constantly expressed our trust in one another, which dissipated any doubts that we had going into each race.
I remember when my teammate Maya pulled her hamstring at the Conference meet in the final leg of the 4×100 meter relay. Coach turned to me and told me I had to step up and be the one to fill her spot. Obviously, I had thousands of reasons why I would be terrible for this position run through my mind. I put the pressure on myself that if we did not win Nationals it would be all my fault. That’s a lot of pressure! Luckily I had amazing teammates since our coach not only built a team but a family and sisterhood. The 4×100 meter relay ladies supported and trusted me. They knew how scared I was and the pressure I was putting on myself that they knew it would not help to add more. Each member went out of their way to make me feel like a member of their relay. Even Maya, who was now injured, supported me and affirmed my place on the relay. That was huge for me! They all assured me that they knew I could do it, I just needed to believe in myself.
Our new relay qualified for Nationals, even with a botched handoff that I was accepting, and my relay members still had trust in me. They knew I was overthinking the handoff, which led to the poor exchange. I knew they were right and had to stop overthinking things. Coach chose me for a reason and I needed to accept that and run the leg I knew that I could for myself, my coach, Maya, and the rest of my team.
We all experience self-doubt and our minds like to tell us we can’t do certain things that we strive to do. It is ten times easier to force out the doubts when you have your teammates and your coach trusting you. What I told myself before the National Championship race was, “You have all of your teammates and your coaches trusting you and your abilities. What reason do you have to not believe them and trust yourself?”
I have to admit, waiting on that track for my relay member to handoff to me was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in my life! I had to put everything that I felt was on the line out of my head. I had to focus on what was important NOW. That’s the only way winning happens. We need to focus on What’s Important Now. (Did you catch that acronym?)
Being able to focus on the present and know that no matter what happens my teammates and coach have my back I was able to receive the baton in a good spot and run my leg. We finished in first that day, which led to my 5th National Championship Title. There is absolutely no way I would have been able to assist in winning that award without my teammates trusting me.
If you are a coach or an athlete and you want to create a winning team, you MUST develop trust. Obviously, you also need to have a certain level of physical skill, speed, and ability, but a team with all those qualities plus trust will perform even greater.
One great activity to develop trust is to take the time to affirm each other. Go around the room and have each relay member, including the coach, affirm each leg or position on the team/relay. Remember; an affirmation is NOT a compliment. An affirmation is emotional support and encouragement to let the person know that you trust them and their abilities. Each time I have led this activity it had amazing results. It brings the team closer and builds a family that supports one another through thick and thin. It also builds the individuals trust and confidence in themselves.
Without my teammates trust in myself, themselves, and our team I would not be the 5x National Champion that I am today. It all comes down to trust. Thank you shout out to my relay members, coaches, and family/friends for always trusting me!
Sorry about all of the pictures in this post, there were too many great memories for me to choose from!