Lessons from Sports: Know the role you play

Nicole McCormack’s Life Lessons from Sports
Know the role you play

As the Senior Vice President and GM of Brand Solutions for TeamSnap, Nicole McCormack is passionate about youth sports – and, in particular, about keeping girls and women in the game. She herself played soccer from age 4, ran track through high school, and went on to play varsity women’s soccer for Cornell University. The life lessons from those years competing on teams continue to fuel her career today.  

How have sports influenced you – personally and professionally? 
I would not be the person or the leader I am without playing sports as a young woman. Sports had a major impact on building my self-esteem and confidence. That confidence comes into play everyday at work – when I walk into a board room, lead a team summit, or go out on a sales call. Sports taught me that I was stronger than I realized. They taught me grit and resilience and discipline – things I’ve needed year in and year out in my career when it wasn’t always easy or things weren’t always going as planned.

Can you share a memorable moment or achievement from your sports journey?
I was a member of a 4×400-meter relay team that was back-to-back state champions. What stands out to me about that experience is the role I played on that team. I was the slowest 400 meter runner on the team. I ran the second leg, and our fastest runner was our leadoff runner. 

In every big race, I had one job to do. Our leadoff runner would always get us a lead – sometimes big, sometimes small, but always a lead. My job was simply to not lose the lead. 

We knew that as long as I finished my leg either ahead of or tied with any other team, we would in all likelihood go on to win the race. So despite the fact that I was the slowest runner on the team, I had a huge role to play. And frankly, in many instances, the outcome of the race depended on whether or not I could do my job. I learned firsthand during this experience that it takes an entire team to execute on a goal and that every single team member has a crucial role to play. 

Is there a particular game, competition, or experience that stands out to you?
During my junior year of high school, it was the regional championship track meet, and my 4×400 relay team were the defending state champions. We hadn’t lost a race all season, and we had a very good shot at repeating our title. The top four teams from the regional race would go on to state finals. During the race, we had a fairly big lead as usual. I was the second leg of the race, and when I went to hand the baton off to our third runner, I dropped the baton! It bounced across the track. I fell to my knees, stunned and horrified as I watched the other teams start to catch and then surpass us. I had just ruined our chances at a repeat state championship! 

But the race is memorable because my relay partner, our third runner, did not drop to her knees. Instead, she sprinted across the track, being sure to stay out of the way of any other runners, grabbed the baton and started running again. She and our anchor leg ran like they had never run before, and our team eked in at 4th place, qualifying for state finals after all. We went on to repeat our state championship title again that year. 

What I learned in that moment from my relay partner was that no matter what, you don’t quit. You can’t fall apart in the moment. No matter the setbacks, you pick up that baton, and you keep running. Because no matter how dire the circumstances appear at the time, you just might still go on to success. 

What advice do you have for girls who play sports?
Just do it! And stay with it, even when it gets hard. It’s not about the games you’ll win or lose, or the records you will or won’t set. It’s about the life lessons you will learn, the skills and traits you will develop, and the impact those things will have on you in other aspects of your life for years and years to come.  

Looking for ways to champion young female athletes? Visit our blog post for insightful stories, practical advice, and supportive resources designed to foster girls’ participation and success in sports. Click here to read more.