What do Olympic swimmers and baton twirlers have in common?

If you watched the 2008 Beijing Olympics, you heard about Michael Phelps.  The superstar Olympian combined years of hard work, determination, discipline, tremendous ability, and a bit of luck to break numerous swimming records and tie Mark Spitz's record of 7 gold medals in a single Olympics. The world wondered if he could break the tie and win an eighth medal.  There was something very significant about the event that would allow Phelps to become the man with the most gold medals.  It wasn't just up to him to succeed.  The event was a relay -- Phelps would have to depend on three other men to swim well enough to win the event in order for Phelps to get that last gold.

The relay team had some well-known swimmers, record holders and medal winners in their own right.  Some were stronger than others, yet any one of them had the potential to jeopardize Michael Phelps' bid for the final gold.  Phelps had to depend on his teammates to do their best if he was to earn that medal.  The men swimming on his team understood the weight of the responsibility.  No one wanted to be known as the man who kept Michael Phelps from breaking the record.  But more importantly each man wanted to succeed with his part in the event so the team would win.  Win for themselves, win for the USA, and yes, to be part of Michael Phelps' history making race. 

Reporters speculated which team members would do well, which would be most likely to cost the team the gold, and analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.  Things the men on the team probably thought about themselves, adding pressure to an already intense competition.

Baton twirlers who participate in team twirling experience something very similar to the Olympic relay team with every performance.  Teams typically have some very strong twirlers, and other members who are not as strong and some may even struggle to keep up with the level of performance expected of the team.  Every drop matters, every missed count, out of step, or break in a line or twirl impacts the teams overall performance for the audience and/or the judges.  Strong team members feel the pressure to twirl at the higher level both to maintain their status as a strong twirler and to compensate for the weaker twirlers in the overall appearance of the routine.  Those twirlers who are not as accomplished feel the pressure of knowing they may be more likely to make a mistake than their more able counterparts.

As I watched the final swimmer on the USA men's relay team touch the wall, I was overcome with the realization that this was true teamwork.  Michael Phelps embraced his teammates, appreciative of the efforts they had put forth and the admiration they directed towards him as they spoke to reporters.  He acknowledged that they made the win possible, and that the win was about the team more so than it was about him breaking the record.  (I'm not sure the reporters understood that.)  He went on to talk about how he'd never felt the kind of closeness he felt with the men on his team, and how special that was.  

Swimmers don't, apparently, spend hours in gyms and on hot pavement practicing together like twirlers do.  Michael Phelps was amazed by the friendship he had developed with his teammates.  Twirling friendships often last long after the baton has been put away.  As a team of twirlers takes the floor, each twirler has the responsibility to have put in enough practice, to know their routine, and to give 100% of their effort in order to make the routine a success.  Each person, from the best twirler to the weakest, needs to do their part.  It's not just about the win, it's about not letting down your friends.