The Importance of Team Sports
When I was little, my parents had thought that team sports wouldn’t be something that I would be able to do. However, joining a Ringette team was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. I played on a sighted team, partly because I had enough vision that I was able to do so safely and partly because there weren’t any Blind Sports teams in the area I lived. However, over the years I have met many individuals who have played on specifically blind or partially sighted sports teams and had an equally fantastic experience.
I played soccer for a couple years when I was younger, first on an adapted team, and then on a community team, and I can only remember positive things about both the evening practices in our school gymnasium and the weekend games at 8 Rinks. The exercise was exhilarating, and I loved being a part of a team. Playing alongside my friends, I never felt like an outsider because of my vision.
Looking back, I’m sure I wasn’t a great player, but that’s beside the point, especially at that age. I continued playing for a year after moving out of Vancouver, but at the time there wasn’t anywhere close to our house to play indoors and the league I joined only had games, not practices, so I wasn’t able to really get to know my team and create those lasting friendships, one of the best parts of playing on a sports team.
I had a couple of friends who played Ringette, and they recommended I try it out. At first I was nervous. Joining was a big commitment, you needed all kinds of gear, and I wasn’t a particularly skilled skater. However, upon starting, I immediately fell in love with the sport. I was eight at the time, but played on a team that was one year younger, which meant I was able to learn the sport on a team with other new players. My Mum helped me learn the rules and volunteered as a line person for games that first year, and I was playing along with the team independently in no time.
That’s not to say that I didn’t have some challenges. I struggled with accepting passes, stabbing the ring, and I wasn’t a great shooter. Also, once or twice, when my team wore our white game jerseys and things were happening fast, I passed to a ref, mistaking them for a teammate, which was pretty embarrassing. These things considered, I did at times, worry that I was letting my team down. However, I did my best to make up for it whenever I could and became a reliable teammate. Signing up for power skating sessions and Ringette camps certainly helped me improve on my skills and gain confidence in my skating. Also, a few years in I was able to get contact lenses which made all of the difference in the world. I’ll admit, even after all of these things, I was never a fantastic player, but I think I was able to pull my weight, and after a couple of years, I started to move up with the rest of the kids my age.
I was a pretty shy kid and had trouble throwing myself into things. Sometimes I would find myself sitting on the sidelines even though I really wanted to participate in whatever was going on. In Ringette, that’s not an option. If you want to keep up with the game, you have no choice but to jump right into it. Realizing that I could do those things, I took that knowledge off the ice with me and was able to apply it to other parts of my life. I owe a huge chunk of the confidence I have now to Ringette.
Through Ringette, I learned hard work and discipline as well as strategy. You make a commitment at the beginning of the year, and after that it’s your responsibility to show up, even when you don’t feel like it. I think that’s a really important thing to learn early on in life, rather than waiting until you have a job. You owe it to your team, not only to be there, but to put in the work and do your part. It’s hard at times, but when you get to see the huge progress you’ve made both individually and as a team, it’s all worth it.
Another thing I had to learn was advocacy and adaptability. The game happens fast, and you have to be totally aware all of the time. When the ring was on the other side of the ice, I couldn’t always see exactly where it was, which created a problem. I was always worried that I was going to miss something important and let my team down. Talking with my Mum, Dad and my coaches, I was able to learn to understand what was happening, even when I couldn’t see the ring. In this way, I was mostly able to figure things out on my own. However, one thing I did have to ask was that my teammates call out my name while passing to me some of the time since I had trouble seeing eye contact and people’s faces. Everybody was really kind about it and nobody made me feel like I was hindering them.
The last and possibly the most important thing that came out of playing, was being part of a team. Through the eight years that I played, I was able to meet so many amazing people. In order to be successful, you have to totally trust and respect the people you play with. With at least two practices/games a week, you really get to know your teammates, and as the 6-month season progresses, you become almost like a family. I was never made to feel like an outsider because of my vision, which meant so much as a kid.I honestly don’t know who I would be today if I hadn’t played Ringette and I am so grateful for all that the sport has done for me. If you are considering joining some kind of team sport, I highly encourage you to try it out. It completely changed my life and it could change yours too!
by Acacia