Training Log Archive: barb

I am writing a personal recommendation for my neighbor Rachael, who is applying to a semester program elsewhere.



I met Rachael when I moved in next door to her family in 2000. In the twelve years since then, I have managed her soccer team, coached her Lego Robotics club, accompanied her to orienteering meets, attended her bat mitzvah, and tutored her in math. She has helped me in my garden, lent me sugar and milk, and made me feel like a welcomed member of her family.

Rachael builds community at every turn. She brings people together, raises group morale, makes every person feel valuable, and injects a positive energy into every gathering.

Let me give you one example: Rachael has played goalie on her soccer teams for years. This past fall she played for the freshman team at Cambridge Rindge and Latin; prior to that she played for Cambridge Youth Soccer teams. Rachael’s teams are unusually successful, and they are good not only because the girls have great coaching and natural talent, and work hard to improve, but above all because they work so well together, as a team. Rachael deserves much credit for creating that bond. You would begin to understand this if you were to watch one of her games -- you would notice something unusual. Rachael talks to her teammates throughout the game, adjusting their positioning, warning of unguarded opponents, praising successful plays, admiring smart moves, and offering encouragement when plays do not work out. You can tell that she is aware not only of her own role, but of the whole game: how each person is feeling; the strategy of the different parts. Her voice is the glue, comforting, reliable, motivating. Rachael’s patter unnerves the opponents. “Tell your goalie to shut up,” said one rattled player from another team, to one of our players. Not bloody likely. Other teams’ goalies are silent, and you can hear their coach constantly shouting at the players, directing from the sideline. Not on Rachael’s team. On Rachael’s team, the players follow her lead and take initiative, communicating with each other and acknowledging each others’ efforts, ideas and growth.

C • Rachael 1

to work

home. cold wind.

Looking forward to lunch with my MIT freshman adviser, who worked in the admissions office at the time. I guess that was... over 30 years ago...

19 s/m

19s/m