Boys often grow up playing team sports, and as it's been pointed out at times, girls grow up lacking that feeling of team commeradery , instead focusing on individual activities and friends. So we get a different vision of how to interact.
Recently, since the spring, I've become more and more involved in a team, the Lone Star Vaulters--a vaulting team in Austin consisting of about half adults~( 28-41), half 9-13 yr olds, mostly girls and women but do have two guys out of about 14.
And it's interesting. We all have mutual responsibilities in grooming and tacking up the horses. And putting out barrels and surrounding pads and then cleaning up afterwards.
But although we have two coaches, we all also contribute in training each other. I sometimes lead the conditioning classes, since my strengths include yoga and dance training. Another guy leads conditioning a la CrossFit training.
Further, we watch each other on the barrel and onthe horse and give each other corrections.
So of course, there's more to all the dynamics of this group than just being in the same place at the same time doing more or less the same thing.
Some members 'fit in' more easily than others...and we're kind of able to take 'criticism' without taking it personally.
I think this is great for the young girls, but it's also great for us older women.
The other night, at the end of conditioning, believe it or not, it started snowing while thundering and lightning at the same time, so all of a sudden, we had to spring into action as a team to get the horses, about 7 of them, corralled in from the pasture to the barn, put out their feed, get each into their respective stalls, and put blankets on. And kind of just fell into being a team.
It was oddly sublime (if that's the right word)....
I think of my friends who have little girls and hope they're able to find a team.
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