Stick it

Great movie. Even better sport scream out. Unlike D-FENSE and OLE (after every precise pass in football which some of you will call soccer) it works on a lot of levels.

It's stick it to the other team.
Stick the jump.
Stick it for your teammates.
Stick (to) it. Because you don't get to be 21 and competing on an NCAA level without sticking to long hours, countless lounges and a myriad of different cheers for your team.

I went to my first gymnastics meet since I was six. When I was 4 my mom had me place on the early development team. At 6 she pulled me out because her growing concern for my knees and my development won her over.

Standing at 6ft6 nowadays I can see she probably made the right call though I am jealous of the graceful dismounts I saw off of the vault.

I did understand a lot more about the male gender by going to a girls gymnastics meet and saw an aspect of teamwork I hadn't truly appreciated.

There is a phenomenon in game theory called group think. It's the idea that the collective begins to think for the benefit of the team rather than the individual when the squad evolves into a cohesive team. The type of ensemble the wins because it has fantastic players and incredible cohesion. They rack up assists. It's not the pleasure of knowing, not that your teammates have your back but that you have there.

In basketball we see this when player number 33 does a no look pass to 23. He throws the ball into a space he knows/hopes will be filled with his teammate.

In gymnastics it was about trusting your teammates, sans communication, to set your vault jump right. That despite the fact that those who are fixing the springs, or the mats or simply cheering you on by yelling "GET UP ON THIS BOARD!" - know what you need. And the gymnast starts sprinting, face of determination, making the 40 yard sprints being run next door like kids during color war at camp, and then a resounding BANG. Springs compressed. She's in the air. One. Two. Stick it. Nailed to the matt - a quick smile to the judges and the teammates rush the mat no matter what happened. No matter the quality.

Something you don't see very often in men's sports.

There isn't that constant support. That hug from the coach if you end up eating it or missing the crucial 3 point kick. There are suicides to run and you are out of the game. I'm not saying you don't pay for it in practice either way - but for a second, no matter how upset you are, you know your teammates are on your side. Individual prowess and team accountability.

So stick it.