Turning teammates into family

Tanning at the beach in Hawaii, Maya Harris ’28 watches her volleyball team laughing and playing in the waves. She realizes how special this trip really is and how much bigger it is than the wins or losses from their games. The tournament brought her team together, and that is what mattered most.

Harris transferred from Crossroads School last year specifically for volleyball. As a fresh-man on varsity, she had to acclimate to a new team and environment while also being the youngest player.

“I got hurt during the trip and I sprained my ankle, so I couldn’t go on the beach, and so my favorite memory from Hawaii was when my coach had to carry me to the beach, and the whole team still made me feel super included even though I was hurt with my injury,” Harris said. “Even just doing things like talking in each other’s rooms and ordering food is so fun because you learn random facts about each other, and everyone leaves much closer.’

Similar to Harris, freshman varsity basketball player Izzy Meigs ’29 felt the team’s pre-season summer tournament in Arizona made the team much closer. Coming in as the only freshman on the team was hard when she first arrived at the airport, as she felt everyone was already much closer; however, over time, the trip allowed her to get to know all the girls better. She believes any amount of time spent together on that trip made her closer to the team, whether that was stretching in between games or talking during warm-ups.

“We have so many practices as well as games in the summer, and then all that combined with when the actual season starts in the winter, is just a lot of time spent together,” Meigs said. “That builds a lot of team chemistry, which will make the team better on the actual court.”

Additionally, the varsity girls’ basketball assistant coach, Freedom McCullough has seen the benefits of taking trips with the team, whether they are for tournaments or just bonding. He emphasizes the beach trips he has taken with some of his teams, believing that they inspire the team to become closer.

“I’ve always loved the beach trip we take to a beach house every year,” McCullough said. “There’s so much value to hanging out together as a team, barbecuing, [going] to the beach, [hitting] the pool, [having] some fun together. It’s all team bonding, even if the kids don’t know it, whether it’s practice or not.”

Varsity boys’ basketball player Gus Phillips ’28 feels that although players can connect effectively through fun events like trips and through activities, that is not the only way. He acknowledges a specific time this fall when he had a really long drive to a game, but he made vital connections and actually enjoyed the ride. He, along with other underclassmen, were offered a ride to and from the game by another player. This senior spent those hours of driving engaging with Phillips and his friend, providing valuable advice, making jokes and growing their connection.

“I thought it would be really boring to be crammed in that car, but it [ended up being] so fun,” Phillips said. “I really got to know my teammates and got much closer with them, which honestly really creates that connection we need in games.”

Nikita Kochnev 26′ joined the Campbell Hall community last year and has been a member of the varsity basketball team. He believes a team must be much more than just friends, but treat each other as if they are closer, similar to McCullough. Players must support each other, and only through this tight-knit bond can they truly play together in sync. He understands that for him and his teammates to achieve their individual goals, they must first learn to work together effectively.

“At the end of the day, we’re family,” Kochnev said. “I hope every team is like that. You want to care about each other, you want to be truly friends, not just teammates, because there’s a difference. Everyone wants their own personal success, and we only get that if we have team success.”