There's an I in team part 2: Rights, responsibilities, roles

JFK may have been a womaniser and a bit crazy, but the guy seriously knew how to make a good soundbite. From getting us to the moon to the missile crisis, he knew how to make history when he opened his mouth (I'd make a joke about Marylin Monroe opening her mouth, but old joke is old). The famous line about "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" is pertinent, and finally gets me to the point of this post.

There's a hierarchy in derby, the unspoken chain of allegiance. At the bottom is you, the individual. Everything you do as a skater is meant to promote, help and further those further up the chain. the next link is your team. Above them, the league. At the top, above all else, the sport itself.

That's a lot of relationships to pick apart in a half-assed pop-psychology manner, so tonight I'm going to focus on the family, the core. The team.

I've written about being in a team before, but the more I spend with my team mates and work with them, the more fascinated I am by the team dynamic. I'm learning more and more about the importance of the individual in the team and the team to the individual, and it comes down to your rights, roles, and responsibilities within your team.

Rights: The fun bit. The right to make a difference to what happens in a play, a jam, a game. The right to wear a uniform, to casually say "yeah, I'm in Team X. We're pretty good" in a nonchalant-but-totally-amped-about-it kind of way. The right to make your voice heard, to discuss strategy and it matter. Those are pretty powerful rights, but with them go...

Responsibilities: Without these, your team is nothing. We all have a responsibility towards those we share our time, our effort and our track with. A responsibility to listen to each other, to hear and be heard. To step up when stuff needs doing. I think this is one that's really struck me, the sheer amount of organising that's needed to make a team in such a grassroots game happen. If one person did it alone, it'd be hideous both for them and everyone else. When everyone steps up, finds things to be done (even if nobody knew it needed done until it, well, got done), makes stuff happen not to make themselves the saviour of the universe but because the team needs it, then the team becomes way more than just a collection of people playing a sport together. I can't think of a single person in my team who hasn't given up some time, money, effort, or all of the above for the team completely voluntarily and without expectations beyond helping the team out. It makes me feel a real sense of belonging in a way just training never could.

Roles: There are two kinds of roles I think. The ones drawn in permanent marker or pulled on over helmets, and the ones that have no designated symbol. Knowing your role both on and off track, and the roles of your teammates is pretty pivotal (see what I did there?) in making the team work smoothly. Captains are more than just the ones who shout the loudest. I'm lucky, in our team we have a captain who knows the game inside out, cares passionately about winning and trying our hardest, but also does a great job of recognising each player's strengths and that their opinions and observations are important. Our team is not a dictatorship, but there is a definite Person In Charge, and that's crucial for everyone to work with. Our pivots occupy the next niche down, and we're lucky to have pivots who know want they want from their pack and how best to position us and work with us to get the best result. For the rest of us blockers, being able to trust the role of the pivot and follow her instructions is pretty crucial in a way that I'm just now starting to learn. Understanding how to communicate both verbally and non-verbally with the people you're working with, react quickly to an instruction and be intuitive as a group are some tough skills to pick up!

So that's the official roles that make the team work. The unofficial ones are like responsibilities, you don't know there's a role to be filled until you fill it. Mediator, hostess, shoulder to cry on, confidante, taxi driver, the list is endless. Nobody is ever "just" a player. Sometimes, it's hard to fulfill these roles as well as they could be. I have a tendency to play the humour role, sometimes I take it a bit far (and sorry if that's happened to you). Sometimes I attempt to be supportive and don't do such a good job. But I try, and so does everyone else. And in trying, we get way better at it.

 So, in a nutshell:

• The perks of being in a team are awesome. 
• It's the responsibilities you take on that make your rights as a team member so good
• Knowing and respecting your roles and the roles of your team mates are important in nurturing the team and making it what it is
• Ask not what your team can do for you, ask what you can do for for your team. And then do it.