First Term CWTO / TaeKwonDo Team Captain…Speaks Out
For four years now I’ve heard the word leadership being tossed around. If you listen to some people talk you’ll think being a garbage sweep OPI is a leadership opportunity, but it’s not…Leadership isn’t measured by the number of bars you hold, how many people you have under your command or even how much decisional power you have; Leadership, to me, is taking on more responsibility and succeeding while the people around you say “I can’t”. That’s what varsity athletes have done.
Having more duty days, practice hours, and less time for everything else, the varsity athletes, on average, succeed better in the four pillars than the rest of the wing. We need to recognize that accomplishment;especially that of 4th years that have spent their entire time at RMC on a varsity team seeing their friends and peers quit for what always sounds like a good reason, but what ultimately translates to joining the “I can’t” team.
During my time here, I’ve had a few bar positions; CSC, team captain, and CWTO. I consider only one of them to be a true leadership position and that’s team captain. The rest, to me, are management position, and although management is an important skill to acquire for a future officer, it is not to be confused with leadership. Being team captain has defined my leadership style and taught me a lot. Working with a small group of individuals, motivating them to perform, while coping with their personal issues and being approached for advice is what I’ll be doing a year from now. I’ve had the opportunity of experiencing all that during my time as team captain on the Taekwondo team. I saw the gratification and the burden of being in such a position.
I don’t know what direction the varsity program will take in the next few years but here is my perspective:
RMC is full of athletes; by athletes I mean individuals that are fit and are by nature competitive. The way I see things, the athletic department is able to take an athlete in first year and bring him/her to a competitive level throughout his/her four years.
Doing the same thing with a team takes more time with the talent pool at our disposal. I believe RMC could produce CIS/OUA/National level athletes in individual sports such as wrestling, squash, badminton, swimming, etc. I believe that will reflect in a very positive way on RMC and the CF.
I find it embarrassing to be associated and to associate the CF to losing records like some of the team’s we have. To quote a famous coach: “Winning is not everything, it’s the only thing”.
RMC TKD – HOU-AH
Ed Note: We have decided to withhold the name of the author. Interesting – seven years later if he still feels the same way.