In this week’s episode of "The Ride to the Rink," we dive into the essence of what makes a great teammate with the guidance of Madison Packer, a renowned professional hockey player known for her leadership on and off the ice. Madison shares her insights into the simple yet profound principles of kindness, inclusivity, and respect within the team dynamic.
What You Will Learn:
The fundamental qualities of being a fantastic teammate.
The importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment within a team.
Real-world applications of leadership and empathy in youth sports.
The long-lasting impact of positive behavior beyond the hockey rink.
Key Moments:
Madison emphasizes the significance of kindness and treating others as you would want to be treated.
The difference between friendly banter and harmful behavior in the locker room.
The concept of a sports team as a second family and the responsibilities that come with it.
Madison's personal experiences and advice on leadership and inclusivity.
Actionable advice for young athletes on becoming better teammates and leaders.
Conclusion:
Madison’s insights remind us that the legacy an athlete leaves off the ice is just as important as their achievements on it. By fostering an environment of respect, understanding, and empathy, young athletes can grow not only as players but as individuals. This episode encourages kids to reflect on their actions and consider the type of teammate they aspire to be.
Action Items for Listeners:
Reflect on how your behavior affects others in your team and make conscious efforts to be more inclusive and supportive.
Recognize situations where a teammate might feel left out or down, and take steps to help them feel included and valued.
Understand that leadership starts with small actions and that everyone has the potential to be a leader in their own right.
Contact Us:
Share your thoughts on this episode or send in your questions to team@ourkidsplayhockey.com. We’d love to hear how you’re applying Madison’s advice to your hockey experience or any other topics you’d like us to explore.
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Speaker 1:
Hello hockey skaters and goalies around the world and welcome back to another edition of the ride to the rank. We are joined today by professional hockey player Madison Packer, and we wanted to ask you, madison, for all the kids listening, what does it take to just be a fantastic teammate?
Speaker 2:
I think the most important thing is just being a good person, which is obviously a very broad brush, but I think, just being someone who's kind, who treats people the way that they want to be treated. We all know what it feels like to be the the butt of the joke, and it's not always the most fun in the locker room. There's a difference between joking around and being a bully. There's a difference between having a laugh and going too far and, I think, trying to remember what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that before you follow through and put someone else in a position where they might have their feelings hurt.
Speaker 2:
You know, getting along and having inside jokes and things like that is all all part of playing team sports, but there's also a big part of it is inclusivity and making sure that people feel safe in their environment. And when you make the choice to play a team sport, you're choosing to join a family away from your family, and we, you know, in a similar way, we bicker and poke fun at our siblings, but at the end of the day, we love them. I think that that's the most important thing is recognizing that when you choose to be part of a team. You're choosing to be part of a family that you're going to protect in the same way you would the people that you go home to at night. So making sure that those people feel safe, they feel comfortable if you've valued in their environment and knowing that you're a big part and important role in making them feel that way.
Speaker 1:
I love that, you know. I want to ask you to look with deep. Do you have, off the top of your head maybe a great moment with a teammate where you supported teammate or teammates supported you? That it kind of supports exactly what you're saying is I love what you're saying about family. That's so true.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think just. I guess maybe more broad. It's pretty easy to see when someone's maybe having a hard day or someone feels like they're a little bit left out. I've always said that the impact in legacy you leave off the ice is far more important than the one you leave on it. If Wayne Gretzky had been a not good person, we probably wouldn't hear as much about him as we do.
Speaker 2:
There are hundreds and hundreds of phenomenal hockey players who we don't, you know, really commemorate or know because they weren't maybe the greatest teammate.
Speaker 2:
That's just as important as being a good player, and it takes very little effort to reach out and make someone feel included.
Speaker 2:
If you're the star of the team and you get a lot of attention, it's easy to participate in jokes and kind of push people aside, but it goes a long way If you can just take the extra two seconds to check in with them or include them at the table that you're sitting at, whatever it might be. It takes more effort to do the wrong thing than it does to do the right one, and I think that you'll find the more you start to do that, the more you know recognition you get as a leader, the more opportunities will come your way to be a captain. More teammates will look to you in moments of conflict, which again will build your leadership skills. So it puts you in a position to be successful as you grow and climb the ranks. In the sport is just practicing those leadership skills from a young age, and a big part of leadership is inclusivity. You don't always have to like each other, but you have to respect and love one another when you're part of a team.
Speaker 1:
I love that, madison, and I'll say, like you know, we always like to give action items to the listener of the show. I think you're saying right, there is to recognize these situations and to understand that you do have a choice. You don't have to make the choice of again bullying or going with the crowd here. Right, you can make the choice to support your teammate and, as you said to the kids listening coaches notice this stuff if you want to be in a leadership position, if you really want to earn a letter one day, this is where it starts. Right, making sure that you said that you're inclusive, you understand, you see someone when they're down, you're empathetic and you see that behavior. You can step in and make a difference in someone's day, and that goes well beyond hockey.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's problem solving, it's you know, reading the room, the situation, but and I think that that's the biggest thing that you see in youth sports is just a bullying component the leaving people out again. You don't, you're having a sleepover, you don't have to invite the whole team, but it's pretty obvious and we all know the situations where you know phones come out in locker rooms or you know a kid can't sit at a table or someone you know is a little bit different from the rest of us and we maybe don't include them. It just isn't necessary and it's why you want to keep playing the game. You need people to play with and we want to keep as many people in hockey as we can because we want to keep growing the game. We don't want teams to go away and we want to keep providing opportunity for kids to play.
Speaker 1:
It's awesome stuff. Medicine will look. That's going to do it for this edition of the right to the right. I really appreciate you giving us a few minutes and for all the kids listening again, email us team at our kids play hockey dot com. If you have a message will forward it to her. But beyond that, just enjoy your time in this game. Take these action items, take the wisdom, madison Packard, with you on the ice again. That's going to do it for this edition of the ride to the rank. We'll see you next time. Have a great one, everybody skate on.