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Written by Brian Olsen
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Tuesday, 22 November 2005 00:00 |
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Location: Beitostølen, NOR
In most sports, teammates are like family; you can neither choose them nor divorce them. For some reason, that idea does not have any bearing in U.S. Biathlon. Our entire National Team is made up of a dozen people, but those dozen have not come together in one place since last season.
Some choose to work with different coaches or with no coach at all. The National Team coaches are given the authority to choose whom they coach, despite the athletes’ results and potential. Instead of forcing people to settle their differences and to just learn to get along, we have been allowed to become a very cliquey and divided set. There just is not the leadership to organize us into one cohesive team.
One humorous athlete suggested that we try to get sponsors for a version of Survivor: Biathlon, where we vote each other off the team in tribal councils. That might be overstating the situation, but during the season, when all of the different groups come together, things can become tense. Sort of like an episode of Survivor, where people are pleasant to each other most of the time, but are critical of others when among friends.
Since this is primarily an individual sport, teamwork is not as important as it is in team sports like basketball, soccer, or hockey. Teammates not getting along in those sports can result in real chaos on the playing field, court, or ice.
A few teams in biathlon and cross-country skiing have shown however, that teamwork can really improve the performance level of all team members. Not only is this when the group is training, where each teammate pushes the other, but also when the team is the only social group during a long season.
The Norwegian cross-country team during the 1990’s would be one example. Of course, they did not always get along perfectly, but their mindset – that they were attacking the World Cup races together, as if on an adventure or mission – helped them achieve better performances. Alsgaard, Daehlie, Jevne, and Ulvang approached problems with humor, not with immediate frustration and complaint.
Hopefully, with some time, teamwork be prioritized within U.S. Biathlon. For athletes like me, who prefer to do things in an exact, individual way, there will be some sacrificing. For individuals who do not get along with others, they will need to learn to be tolerant and even supportive of their teammates. And for coaches and staff, it will require their leadership to initiate such an evolution. They will need to listen to the concerns and needs of all of the athletes and create a team environment with which each can live and train happily.
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