Valken Newsletter Winter 2013 | Page 16

W 2 IN 0 TE 1 R 3 Camaraderie Playing as a team is an awesome feeling and the rewards are so great by seeing your teammate having your back every step of the way. However what about off the field? Teammates are just as important if not more off the field as well. If a man/woman doesn’t have love for there fellow mate or there team, then why will they fight for them? We don’t play on teams because the main reason is benefiting from something. So does your team have off field hangs? Somewhere everyone can go and talk as a bunch? We (my team) make sure to have an event at least once a month off field to see the crew outside of gear and be able to sit back and relax with each other. From Cookouts to movies to haunted walks to just hanging in the basement or even coming over to lend a hand and work as a team with other things like fixing a tire. No matter what the case being apart of a team is not a part time or fulltime gig, it’s an all the time one. Morale of the team is important and if that lowers to much then it may disband and you are to either find another or build it up again. It’s being apart of something you love. That’s why hanging out off the field is just as important, by maintaining a relationship with your teammates so they know you are there as a brother or sister to be able to talk to and confide in and be able to laugh and joke. When the time comes where the horn blows and the game face goes on to having laughs about the other adventures you’ve done. From knowing your teammate more will give you that much more of an advantage against your opponent of almost knowing what your teammate is thinking just by looking at them. Got teammates living far away? Half of my team is a 13 hour drive away. It can be hard to stay in touch. However with today’s age we always stay in touch with facebook, skype, email or video games. We do use video games as another way of teamwork and practice by trying to get online and have a good bunch of laughs playing with or against each other. So make sure to be the teammate on and off the field. For both are important and so are you! No matter what part of the team you are, either Captain, LT, SGT, right arm, grunt, newbie, etc., you are important and are what helps hold a team in place. So being involved in the team is important, if you don’t distance will arise and soon you won’t know what to say or how to act and the uncomfortable will sit in. We want the “camaraderie”, it’s what binds us, what makes us a close knit bunch, what separates us from the others and yet is similar in each team. See you on the field Rob McLellan Ontario Regional Commander Valken Corps 15