Better out of the limelight

December 16, 2009 • written by Abby MacDonald  
Filed under Columns, Opinion

There are two questions that are most commonly brought up at a party or as a way to break the ice. The first, ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ and the second, ‘Would you rather barely play on a varsity team, or be the star player on the lower level team?’ Both these questions bring a plethora of answers and many “hmms” and “uhhs.”

Now I am not a sports player, and everyone who knows me can attest to this. What I am is an energetic sports lover. I have sat in the bleachers at many games for the good old Kirkwood Pioneers, and that second question seems to always creep its way into the back of my mind. This senior year, I really started asking around, and I learned that some of my closest friends actually dealt with this question while playing their sport.

As I sit at games, watching my friends play less than I expected, less than their family hoped for, I observed their dedication to their team. They showed being a good teammate did not start on the court but on those cushioned ‘K’ chairs where they put their heart into supporting their team.

There never is a clear answer to the question about the chicken and the egg. Some people base it on their religious views, some base it on peer pressure, but most just plain guess. The second question does not really have a solid answer either. The answers are never black and white. I applaud those that see the answer in the gray area. They are the ones whose teammates come to with questions. They are the ones whose energy and spirit feed their success. They are leaders, the best type of leaders; the ones that are not necessarily in the limelight during the game.

The egg; that is my answer to the first one. But I still cannot give an answer to the second. Like I said before, I am not an athlete, so I would hopefully never need to rely on the answer I give. And, to those athletes, I sure hope that if they do have to choose, either way they choose to be a leader. I enjoy seeing loud, spirited leaders on and off the court.
Those athletes not only affect teammates but also those people on the bleachers looking at their excitement, praising their leadership.