Today’s dot was written by Jamie Ward from Minot State University.
As a freshman thrower for a college track and field team, there’s still a lot you need to learn. This year I learned how to do the hammer throw, and one thing my coach told me was, “Sometimes you’ll throw the hammer, and other times that hammer will throw you.”
I learned to relate this to a lot in my life, because on this same track team, I became the thrower representative/captain for our team. As someone so new to the team, it was a big thing trying to represent or lead those in my event who are older than me.
So I took what my coach told me about throwing the hammer and made it about leadership. I started to think, “Sometimes you’ll lead your followers; other times your followers will lead you.”
Leadership isn’t always about being the one with the plan; sometimes it is about learning from the people you work with so you can lead them better. I had to understand that my coaches didn’t pick me because I’m the strongest, the oldest, or the most experienced. My coaches picked me because I put in the effort, I brought the energy, I knew how to lead by example, I wasn’t scared to lead or advocate, and most importantly, I showed up. They knew I still had things to learn about being a college athlete, but they also knew that I could learn these things from the people I was leading while still actively doing what I could to lead and advocate for the other throwers on the team.
