The Geology Club

This post is a bit different than the rest. I hope with this post to teach what a team should be and give an example of what it should not be.

My freshman year at Rose-Hulman was rough. I did not know what I was doing with my life and I fought myself to do my work. For those of you who don’t know me very well, that’s not like me. I’m that person who grew up and did homework and studied for fun. I love to learn and work. Anyhow, I was at the number one engineering school in the nation and I was realizing that I didn’t like engineering. I beat myself up while I was there but I have come to terms with it now. I learned from it. I also learned that everyone will have something to say about everything.

I relied heavily on swimming and the team because this sport was my outlet. I could fail an exam or have a generally rough day, but knowing I had swimming to look forward to was a saving grace for me.

It wasn’t until after I had left RHIT that I found out why the freshman group chat for swimmers and divers was named “The Geology Club.” Everything I had originally thought and believed about my teammates was changed after this. It was named after yours truly. Someone/ a group was making the joke that I was dumb and had rocks in my head for a brain. I was devastated. I had put my faith in this team and credited them for keeping me sane at Rose and this is what happened behind my back.

I said in the chat when I found out, “So I just found out why this was named the geology club. Real mature & welcoming as a team guys. Glad to know I had some great teammates.” Not my most mature moment, but I felt the need to stand up for myself and tell people that the situation was NOT ok. Nobody should be treated that way.

I don’t know what I expected to happen from saying this, but I did not anticipate what happened. Everyone just started leaving the chat. Not one person apologized. Not one person said they agreed. I felt like a betrayed fool.

The night passed and I cried my eyes out but I realized something crucial. I was thankful they had picked on me and not someone else. I began to feel like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. I had been at the same school as all those people calling me dumb. I did not fail out, I simply chose to learn about something else. I was a strong individual and this wasn’t going to define me.

Within a few days, I met with a couple of the teammates and they tried to apologize. One very sincerely, the other seemingly to get it over with. I explained that they were lucky they chose me to pick on and not someone who was having a harder time than me. They could have driven someone off of the swim team, out of the university, or worse. I explained that a team is supposed to build one another up and support each other, even if they don’t like each other.

Nobody should have to worry about their own teammates coming after them. To be a team is to have each other’s backs. I learned what a team should be through this experience and I know what type of a teammate I hope to be/ am. I don’t feel sorry for myself but I do hope that others who go through similar things know their own self worth and can use it as a learning experience as well. To teammates- be good to one another.