There's No I In Team, But Who Is He?

Football is a strange game. There are so many moving pieces that make up a team. Going to a small high school close to Ada I never realized what "team" meant. We had 50 players from freshman to seniors on our squad. Everyone was either related to close friends. You played midget football all the way to senior year with your friends and that's just how it was. I could tell you everyone's name, mostly where everyone lived and personal information about them. It was "normal", I thought that's how it was everywhere. 

When I arrived in Ada, I was dead wrong. In early August of 2021 I was sitting in pharmacy 151 with 156 new teammates. I was freaking out on the inside. I thought there's too many people on this team. I assumed they were all the best the world has ever seen. I hope I am not the only one that has had a feeling like this. I felt like I would only ever know half the team, and no one would know me. That was a huge mistake. Quickly, I learned people's names and eventually I knew everyone. Even after I knew everyone's name it still felt odd to me. This was due to not having a personal relationship with them. 

Soon after I learned everyone's name, I accepted the fact; I am not in high school anymore. This is when I realized "team" has an entire new definition here. Sure, we still wear the same jersey and play the same opponent. However, I didn't have that personal connection anymore. At least my first year here didn't. Being around the same people over and over, day after day you start to branch out and talk to new people.  After some time, I got to know the entire squad well. By this point it was March. The unfortunate part about this timing is that we leave school in early May and don't come back until August. Early August, I realized I must learn even more people's names my second year. I was grateful it was 65 names instead of 156 again.