There's no (wh)I(ne) in TEAM

It was some time in the winter of 1976, and I was a fledgling competitive ski jumper. Now, you've seen those freestyle jumps, right? The half-moon shaped arcs of snow built out of the ground that throw the skier almost straight up in the air, where they must not only catch air but do amazing twists, turns and even inversions? Yeah. I did that.

So this particularly day I was at the top of the jump course waiting my turn. I was surrounded by my teammates who were competing too. Freestyle jumping -- like the Ryder Cup or the Davis Cup -- is an individual sport that has team results. I wanted to jump big and jump well for me, but I wanted to do it for my team even more.

The jumper just ahead of me pushed off, sped up toward the lip of snow, went up in the air and then disappeared on the other side (because of the jump shape and the steepness of the trail, those above cannot see the landing). Then we all heard it. A scream. Then ominous silence.

"Hold up until course cleared!" a voice crackled over the handheld that the starter had. Seconds slithered by like hours. What had happened? Was she okay?

"Jumper up. Just wait for us to clear the blood from the course," the radio voice crackled again.

*Clear the blood from the course?* You have got to be kidding me. At once, my steely resolve disappeared. Cleared the blood from the course? And I'm next? I was horrified, something a freestyle jumper simply cannot be.

But this jump was important. Not only were there some good scouts in the crowd below, but my team wanted bragging rights against at least one other team there. Sensing my horror, my teammate Nancy grabbed my shoulders and looked in my eyes.

"You. Are. Going. To. Do. This." She punctuated each word. Then she said it again. One by one, my teammates joined in. "You. Can. Make. This. Jump." "You. Are. In. Control."

The course cleared (of the blood!) I fed off the fuel of my teammate's confidence and pushed off, launching a pretty durn great jump. 

I still have the medal I won that day. For me, it's an extra special one of the many I earned over the years, because it's the one that I won with thanks to my team, not myself.

In this fitness challenge, I can feel some of the same energy. Okay, it's not as scary to have to work out way more and eat better as it is to launch of a giant ski jump. But it's scary nonetheless. I've had my moments of doubt these four weeks. Like the other day. I was feeling down and thinking about how very far I have to go to get to a good fitness and weight level. I was staring down the toughness I'd have to show and cowering. Somehow, my Fitness Challenge teammates picked up on it. Patti, the heart-0f-gold wisecraker (okay, we might all be wisecrackers) of the group pulled me aside, saying she needed to talk to me. Uh-oh. Did I owe her money? What was up.

She pulled me to a private spot and looked me in the eye. "You. Can. Do. This." She, like Nancy all those years ago, punctuated each word. And like Nancy, she fueled me to move beyond my doubt and keep forging ahead.

That's what teamwork does. This challenge made me realize that. Maybe one of the things I've needed at this time was allies . . . folks on my side who want me to win just as much (or more sometimes) than I do. I have that. With that, a description of my  team.

MARY: We call Mary our team captain because she's determined, funny and yeah, a little bit bossy. Mary has a gruff voice and is quick to tell you exactly what she thinks at any time. She also would quite literally give you the shirt of her back at any moment you should need it. She's a good soul with a wicked sense of humor. I have a feeling if we were in high school together the teacher would NOT allow us to sit next to each other in class. Mary brings to the team determination and ideas (like: let's all go to Saturday morning aerobics!). I love that every time we have a hard workout she says at the start "I'm only going to be able to do half today," and then at the end she's still there suggesting we do more.

Patti: I promise you if I knew Patti when I was a kid she would have been a kid I would have wanted to hang out with. Patti's a very "real" jock type: a mom, volunteer, golfer, great tennis player who you can just tell would beat you in an arm wrestling match any day, any time. But there's a softness about her too. Noticing I was wavering and doing something about it is just typical Patti. She's easy to crack up too. I have a feeling if we were in high school together they would not let us sit next to each other in class.

Cathy: Cathy is just plain nice. I've never heard her say a mean word about anyone, and she always has something good to say about any situation. She's not a bragger either. I happen to know from just a few *really smart things* she said about a few things that she's really flipping smart. Her son is going off to an Ivy League School in the fall and she's tickled pink. She's also a digger. Give her any exercise and any challenge and she quietly digs deep and goes for it. Very impressive. She likes a good joke too though. I have a feeling if we were in high school together we would not be allowed to sit next to one another in class.

Karen: I just met Karen through this challenge (the others have been tennis friends for a while). She's probably the most fit of us all (maybe tied with Denise), but she's working just as hard as all of us. She can sing like a munchkin (I thought I was the only one!) and she comes to our workouts pumped up and ready in a way that is completely infectious. She's quick with a compliment and while I just got to know her, I realized when we put our yoga mats next to each other the other day that if we were in high school together, they probably wouldn't let us sit next to one another in class.

Denise: Denise is our earth mother. She is a certified yoga instructor (something she didn't advertise but we could all see by the way she embraced her stretches there was something special there). she works with horses and children, and is just that kind of Ivory girl type of gal you just feel healthier being around. I think it took her a little while to get used to my, ummm, rambunctiousness, but she has. She's quieter than the rest of us, and brings a sense of calm determination to the group. I have a feeling if we were in high school and she sat next to me in class, I could get her to laugh pretty easily and then they'd move us apart.

So that's us. We're bonded together as team Trophaem Uxor, which is Latin for, loosely: Trophy Wives. We like that name because we want to LOOK like trophy wives, but we are all smart and accomplished (so we can say it in Latin). 

I know this journey is not an easy one. As you can see by prior blogs, I've chickened out before. But now I have my team, cheering me on, boosting me up, pushing me ahead and yes, making sure there is no evidence of anyone crashing before me.

Go team!