Success–A Team Effort

Thursday, January 25th, 2018     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation


by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Granddaughter, Second from Left, Middle Row, Group Novice, Kung Fu Fighting
This past weekend my hubby and I traveled to Ft. Myers, Florida, to see our elder granddaughter skate with her synchro team. Synchro ice-skating has been a major part of her life since she was about six years old. She will turn fourteen next month, so you do the math. That’s a lot of years of dedication.

I am happy to say that her team came in fourth place and will be going to nationals in Portland, Oregon, in just a few weeks. She could have chosen solo skating, but she likes being part of a team. They are fortunate to have one another to lean on. But it isn’t just leaning on one another, it is knowing that your teammate has done everything she could to be an asset to the team as a whole. It isn’t me-focused, it is we-focused. The motto I see associated with the DC EDGE program is  I can’t, but we can. I like that.

Judging

Our son explained how the team is judged as we didn’t know some aspects of this part of the competition. We just like watching the teams take to the ice and do their very best. It is a beautiful sport. He explained that scores have to do with how close the formations are and the speed at which they skate.

Her team is comprised of sixteen young ladies on the ice, and four swings, all who are in the same age bracket and who have passed the same skill levels. They speed across the surface on a thin, sharp blade─on a layer of ice. It blows my mind every time I see her do this. I just want to jump up and down and yell, “That’s our baby girl out there, y’all!” I do try to contain myself, therefore, I simply let out a blood-curdling, high-pitched “Woo-Hoo!” Or two or three. And remind myself, that she is part of a team.

Success isn’t gained by simply your hard work. Oh, sure, you must be purpose-driven, have set goals, and know what it is you wish to accomplish. But you are going to not only have to work hard, but you will have to surround yourself with the best people possible to make those dreams and goals a reality.

Team Effort

Whatever it is you are striving for in your life, you have always had a team of people backing you. From the earliest of times, if you are one of the lucky ones, you had parents who poured themselves into making sure you were the best you possible. I know that our granddaughters’ parents rise around four to four-thirty in the mornings to get the girls out the door and onto the ice for those early-morning lessons. Our daughter-in-love has been the team manager for the past six years. What dedication. What sacrificial love. And let me add that all of the parents, not just our girls’, are just this dedicated and supportive of their children. Hats off to all of you.

I’ve never been much of one for the phrase It takes a village, but as I wrote this, it came to light that it truly does. I give Ken and Cecili all the credit for having raised their girls with a sense of right and wrong, and that deep-seated dedication to be the best they can be. Both of our girls are driven to be achievers, to settle for nothing less than the best. For that, I must applaud their parents, as I believe those things begin early on, within the family setting.

Of course, they’ve had teachers who have taught them well. Who have encouraged them, challenged them, made them think critically, caused them to form their own opinions about things. They’ve had my hubby and me and their other grandparents to love and support them along the way. They’ve had extended family in aunts and uncles and cousins who cheer them on in all of their endeavors. Our granddaughter has had her teammates and coaches, all of whom have given their best efforts to make her team the success it is.

Granddaughter-End on Right, Back Row
Congratulations!

It is with great pride that I congratulate P and her team on their fourth-place finish at Eastern Regionals this past weekend in Ft. Myers, Florida. We wish you and your teammates the best as you travel to Nationals. Truly, a success story of what teamwork is supposed to be. I’ll let you know how they do there.

Cheer them on, y’all!
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