There is no I in Team

How many times have we heard that?  "There is no I in team?"

Well, I was reminded of that when a friend invited me to go to Vegas with her this year.  She has never been to Vegas, I have been a 1,000 times, and I was super excited that I could show her around!

While I got all pumped about it (even looked at flights and hotel prices), of all that I could show her (MGM volcano, Bellagio water show, certain card games, great places to eat/shop, fab buffets, beautiful statues, exhibitions, roller coasters, etc), I slowly started to draw back my excitement.....

You see.... she was invited to go to Vegas to be on a Women's Team for a National tournament.  It would be her first time with the team, the first time in Vegas, and also the first time in a National event.

And, I needed to not be selfish.

Although I wanted to go with her and show her around and also support her while she plays, I also know that what is MORE important is that she gets some good bonding with her team.

Team atmosphere, team dynamics, and team trust and comfort are all crucial for success.  The way to get all of that is with bonding; ie. doing things together and creating bonds.

If I am there, I would steal her away from anything pool-related, which really means even simple things like eating with teammates.  And in reality, she NEEDS to do that.  She needs to bond with them, get to know them better, have amazing laughs, and making memories with the team she will be helping to win!  She doesn't need me to distract her from pool just because we are in Vegas.

Even simple things like walking together as a team in their matching shirts to the tournament room is bonding.

I don't want to interfere with that.

There is no I in Team, Melinda!