There is a bond between me and the girls on my synchronized swimming team. I stand in the center of an intricate web, ropes tying me to all twenty-five girls. Some of the connections are loose, providing enough slack to allow independent movement. Others are tightly wound, connecting me to my teammates completely. As my swimming team’s captain, I have gained awareness to my team’s deeper level of relationships. I must pay attention to the outer reaches of the web, where the girls cling on only by a wispy string,. Cord by cord, I can pull gently on someone’s rope and show them that yes, they do belong on my team. This is how I build the team and give back to a group that pulled me in from the outside five years ago.
I only began to see this