UNIT 7: SPORTS
My name‿ is‿ Iris. I played volleyball for ten years│ before‿ I became‿ a runner,│ and‿ I now think the two sports develop‿ opposite characters,│ an(d) both‿ are necessary.
A team spor(t) teaches‿ interdependence. Your performance‿ is‿ inseparable from‿ eight‿ other people's,│ so accountability is shared‿ an(d) blame‿ is difficul(t) to allocate,│ which‿ is why a losing team│ so often destroys‿ itself from within. The tactical side‿ also belongs to the coach,│ an(d) the player's psychology is‿ a matterma-der‿ of‿ adapting to somebody else's decisions. That‿ is valuable training for‿ any career,│ and‿ it can‿ also encourage people to hide‿ inside‿ a collective.
Running‿ is the reverse. There‿ is no coach‿ on the road,│ no teammate to cover the las(t) five kilometres,│ and‿ only one person to blame. The autonomy is terrifying‿ an(d) clarifying‿ at the same time,│ because there‿ is nowhere to attribute the result. I now play volleyball‿ in the summer│ and‿ I am far more competitive than‿ I ever was‿ alone. If‿ a young person‿ asked me,│ I would say:│ do a team spor(t) first,│ because‿ it will teach you how to be reliable,│ an(d) then find‿ out│ who you are│ when nobody is watching.