Teams 2010?

[deekaypee]

Thanks to Maura's gentle nudge, it's time to (re)open discussion about possibilities for teams again this year. With two years of the WISH teams behind us, what do you all think?

Should we continue with the teams? Advantages and disadvantages?

I'd like to hear a range of opinions here on the thread, as I've privately heard both praise for and concerns about the teams.

• If so, should the miles & minutes challenge be part of the teams? Should there be another challenge raised--what kind--or should the teams be more supportive/social?
• If so, how should the teams be organized? Same members? Reshuffled? What about new WISHers or teammate trades?
• If so, who should be in charge of the teams, overall? (Yep, that's my way of saying it should be someone else. )

Team Challenge Background

For those who don't know, the past couple of years, WISHers who were interested in participating broke into teams for a team miles & minutes challenge. Part of the rationale for this, if I remember, was that WISH was getting to be so big that it was hard to get to know each other. And that it was intimidating for new people to join a weekly/monthly thread, let alone more established threads.

The first year, the teams were randomly assigned. In the second year, some teams chose to remain together, other teams left the game (with individuals re-absorbed into remaining teams), and new teams formed. New WISHers were assigned based on space and, if possible, general background (walkers, runners, tris, new or experienced) information or requests.

General Team Rules

All fitness activity counted, and a WISHer's team members served as resources and support system. As an extra incentive to get used to event conditions, race miles (whether running, walking cranking, biking, or tris) counted double. Individual WISHers keep track of their miles and minutes, which are then tracked by team captains for each month & for the 11-month season (Feb. - Dec.).

 

[mkymsehi]

Keep everything going is my 2 cents.

But, include January, since many of us put in miles before, during, and after the marathon race weekend.

Changes, whatever you all decide on.

Hi Deb

 

[tiberius]

I'd like to hear a range of opinions here on the thread, as I've privately heard both praise for and concerns about the teams.

• If so, should the miles & minutes challenge be part of the teams? Should there be another challenge raised--what kind--or should the teams be more supportive/social?
• If so, how should the teams be organized? Same members? Reshuffled? What about new WISHer interests or trades?
• If so, who should be in charge of the teams, overall? (Yep, that's my way of saying it should be someone else. )

First off, I'd like to thank Debra and the rest of the Team Captains that carried so much weight over the last couple of years. Maybe some of us took for granted how much extra work they were doing, especially since they were some of the most active WISHers already. I for one, apologize for expecting so much from my Team Captain and not doing enough to help out.

I think the teams fill the space between the overwhelmingly large group as a whole, in which I once felt lost. The team gave me the chance to find my footing within a smaller group and form real relationships that now extend well beyond WISH. At the same time that base gave me the ability to have a broader understanding and participation within WISH boards, leading to even greater interaction across multiple threads. I think WISH needs to keep these in place as a way to help focus interaction, and still allowing members to go off in theri own directions.

I will agree that the miles/minutes tracking may be ready to head off into that goodnight. I log many details of my training already, and still had trouble finding time to make those reports to my captain in a timely manner. I don't even know if we really need a challenge for the teams, but if we keep one I'd go with something simple and trackable like number of competition races completed. Maybe each team could offer a different challenge for all the teams periodically.

As for organization, I say the easiest thing to do is keep the existing organization. Ask for Team Captains within the existing teams, then reallocate members who express a desire to change teams, then add new members who want to join, and then add new teams if numbers warrant. We always have new threads pop up for various interests, and that will keep happening, but I find real value in talking with team members who don't always share experience though I feel comfortable in talking to them within the team framework.

As far as who is in charge, why not let the new Team Captains jointly discuss that after we move forward. In the DIS we don't really have full control here anyway, and are pretty much left alone by moderators because we mostly handle our business pretty well, and I think we are mature enough to continue to do so.

My closing argument in favor of the teams mostly as they are is that the social groups will remain to some extent, so instead of going against the flow, be like Crush and go with the flow and work within the existing framework to improve it rather than tear down something that largely works to create a new method that might not work.

 

[syko]

I would like to stay on a team, if they are keept, but I think the Buzzies have gone to ifinity and beyond.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Hi Debra and thanks for taking the initiative here! And thanks also to all who served as team captains!

I like the small teams--it works for me. However, for whatever reason, I liked it better two years ago as compared to this past year. Maybe it was the miles/minutes competition among all teams? Maybe it was the friendly "trash talking" that went on, urging us to garner more miles for our own teams. It just seemed that there was a lot more camaraderie and I really got to know not only my teammates, but those on other teams as well.

Not sure what this translates into in terms of tangible changes to be made, but I'll keep thinking about it.

Erika

 

[goofyinohio]

As a team Captain the last couple years I really enjoyed the team aspect. Having said that I became a little too busy at home and with training to really keep up with my team. Especially trying to keep track of miles and minutes. Our team really became just a few of us posting on occasion.

My only real argument against the teams is I really got to know my team members, but maybe not so much the other WISHers on other teams. The weekly thread that used to be hopping has become the monthly thread that not many post in. I got to learn about a ton of WISHers thanks to the Goofy Support thread though.

I do think the Buzzies are a great group of people and I'm so happy to have gotten to know so many of them. I think the Buzzies we have left though would be alright on different teams if we keep the team aspect.

I'm game for whatever. As long as people are cool with anyone popping in on their teams to say hello then that would be cool too.

Thanks again Debra you rock!
Chris

 

[FFigawi]

For those of us not on a team, is it like middle school where we stand around waiting to get picked? Is it like professional sports where there's a draft and the higher your draft position, the more you get paid?

 

[deekaypee]

For those of us not on a team, is it like middle school where we stand around waiting to get picked? Is it like professional sports where there's a draft and the higher your draft position, the more you get paid?

In the past, when teams were tracking miles & minutes, new members were assigned fairly randomly to keep the teams more or less even in number. Sometimes people would request a specific team, which was honored if possible.

If there is no challenge to keep track of, I'd think WISHers would be able to join whatever team they wanted?

 

[dsnyfan21]

As for teams, I am for keeping them together.
As being the team captain for the Warriors, I have asked my members to let me know if they are interested in staying - and also offering the opportunity to move to another team if they so choose to. I also had a WISH member ask to be on the Warriors.
I do believe the tracking of miles and minutes can be a "chore". I did offer the means for my member to go to the Warriors spreadsheet and post there own miles. This worked pretty well at the beginning, but some still wished to post them on the thread and I placed them on the spreadsheet.
Not sure if the miles/minutes keeps members from posting or not. I never really cared how many people were handing in, I just wanted members to feel comfortable and to post a few times a month so we could all share in what each other were doing regarding training and such.
There are some who are just about the miles/times and those would post once a month to report just that and that was it.
I wish to stay captain and keep whoever wants to stay and welcome new Warriors.
I also agree that it should be open for others to jump into other team threads to see "what's up" and do shout out or whatever, shouldn't be an issue.

-Tracy

 

[chimera]

I have no desire to keep track of miles and minutes any longer. I have a running log that I keep but the act of transferring the data to another place just got to be too much.

I think keeping the existing team threads as social entities is fine and making new 'teams' out of new folks or displaced members is fine too. My question would be the role of the team captain and if that function would be necessary in a more social structure.

 

[dsnyfan21]

Maybe leave the times/miles for other teams, or let the teams decide how they want to progress with it. For some teams, it seemed important and for others not so important.
I would assume the role of a captain in a social thread would be to just try to keep the threads going for the team. If things start getting slow, people disappear and starting new threads for each month. Something along that role.
I know I felt bad when team members would disappear. I would try to contact them and ask how they were doing. I tended to get worried when team members didn't post in over a month. Some were having LTO and I was at least happy to hear that things were ok with them and then left it as, "come back and post and socialize when you can".
Just my two cents...

Tracy

 

[JimB.]

I like the team concept.

It is a nice bridge between the big WISH group & the individuals. I find it is motivating me to keep active, in spite of my recent health issues. I like the team I'm on (Go. Warriors.!). It's a nice, friendly (albeit decreasing in size) group.

Some reorganization is (IMHO) most likely necessary because of the outflow of people (not criticizing those that have left teams, just addressing reality. Life takes over a lot of us.) .

Probably need to reorganize team leadership/captains first, then let existing members express whether to stay on their current team or go somewhere else, then take those + all who wish to hop on a team & reallocate them for relatively equal numbers on the teams. Easy.

And after you have done this, do that. Then take care of everything else!!

If anyone needs my assistance, just holla' !!

ETA: I personally liked the miles/time challenge.

 

[jmasgat]

Debra Well, since I "nudged", here's my two cents worth (or maybe dime....or quarter)...

Teams, in general, are a good thing. They do allow for smaller interactions that can be more personal. That said, their success also depends on the time, energy, sociability, etc of the members. And as with any group of people who are randomly thrown together (as we all originally were)--sometimes there is deeper shared interest/chemstry, and sometimes not. Some teams seem to go gangbusters, others--not so much. Our Goofs have slowed way down, for LTO reasons and other things. Point being....it should be okay to "remix and pour" some teams if they don't pan out. After all, it's not like we married these people!

So it follows then, that I think people should also be able to switch teams---without guilt. I will admit, though, in the back of my mind, I feel a little un-easy about things getting too clique-y (Middle School? High School? AAAHHH....run away screaming!) WISH should always be welcoming to new members, and make sure the teams are as well.

I don't see the whole mileage/time thing accomplishing very much other than making people feel guilty if they haven't been keeping up recording their data! (There's that "guilt" word, again. Can you tell I was raised Catholic?!)

As for overall organization, if we simplify what teams are about--i.e. ditch the "challenge", then doesn't that simplify the organization to just assigning new members (or am I missing something)?

I hope we hear from some of the new WISH'ers on this.

Maura

 

[SamSam]

I like being part of a team and having the need to track my miles/minutes for the week...kind of helps keep me motivated. They days I just really don't want to go out and do that 4 or 5 miles, I'll say to myself..."your report in is going to be pretty low this week".

That's just me, it helps me get out an get going.

 

[marathonmommy]

I have been a sometime lurker but really only started reading some of the threads right before the WDW Marathon/Half. I'm pretty sure I would like to be added to a "team". Where would I go about "officially" posting this request? Or does this suffice?

 

[wfloyd]

I'll go against the flow here. I liked the concept a couple of years ago, but keeping track of all the miles got to be time consuming with everything else and eventually I quit trying to keep up. So this past year, I didn't sign up knowing I wouldn't have any more time to keep track of everything.

As such, I found that if you weren't involved in a team it was alot more difficult to keep track of people. The weekly thread would be a few people but even then they didn't post much. Because of that the weekly thread turned into a monthly thread that usually didn't get over 5 pages or so. Trying to keep up with all the different teams so see what everyone was doing was hard as well. As a result, I found I wasn't spending as much time here as I did in the past.

The teams are probably good for some people but for anyone coming in and looking around, if they aren't outgoing normally, they will probably fade away without anyone knowing.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

As someone who hasn't posted her December minutes yet... I like the teams, I enjoyed the miles/minutes originally, and I will probably continue to track them for myself and dh, but I won't be devastated if that aspect goes away.

My team slowed to a crawl this year, and I'm partially responsible for that. I also found we were just as likely to be discussing the books we're reading as fitness, and I actually enjoyed that. I was lucky to find a group of readers, so sometimes the other affinities do appear.

I am one of the ones who doesn't post in the general thread. I found it too unwieldy when I found WISH three years ago, and never went back. As a new person, I needed to be able to feel good about getting below 16 minutes miles, not hearing about someone's 20M every week -- not that that's bad, but if it's Jeff's and I know him from my team, I feel encouraged. If it's just all these random people, I feel discouraged -- I know that may not make sense, what I'm trying to say is the general thread can be intimidating to a newbie! Finding a team was a place where it's ok if I'm the slowest and the biggest -- I can still encourage Richard on his tri, and I can still feel good that I finally had a real breakthrough PR, because even if I'm an hour slower than Corinna, she will still support me -- and even be proud of me!

I can see where some reshuffling of teams might be good, and I can see where it might be nice to set them up by "other" interest -- the readers, the scrappers, the sci fi (oh, wait, I'd need 2 of those...). Anyway, I'm happy to keep things as they are, but if people are definitely looking for a change, I'll view it as an opportunity.

Maria

 

[K80K]

I enjoyed being a part of a team and like the idea as a way of bringing new people in and making them feel comfortable. I did notice however that some groups are way more active than others, so maybe some shuffling just to keep the energy up in all the teams would be good?

 

[laxdef69]

My opinion is likely worth less on this topic than some others as I disappeared after my Sept Ironman; I had some huge WTO/LTO issues that are starting to resolve themselves so I feel ready to come back to some things that i really enjoyed and missed, including the DIS boards.

I'm in favor of the team concept, particularly as it relates to smaller group interactions and encouragement. I understand that the weekly thread activity was diminished as a result but would submit that makes sense if people are posting in the weekly thread and transfer that activity to a team thread.

Additionally, there is nothing that stops people from not being on a team and posting in the weekly, but if you take away the teams, you may lose the folks that would prefer to be on a team.

Mixing up the teams to introduce folks to some other WISHers is a really good idea...it might just re-energize the whole arena.

I'd prefer to keep the measuring component; to my mind, if you can't measure what you have done, you can't ascertain progress.

To that end, I have developed a spreadsheet that at least one other team used...everybody on a team can use the spreadsheet to enter their miles and minutes, and the weekly and monthly team totals are calculated. If other teams wish to use that, I'm glad to distribute a blank template.

At the end of the day, we are all mature adults and are here to get healthy for ourselves, our families and our friends.

I hope everyone has a happy, productive, and growing in health new year!

Mike

 

[wellesleyprincess]

As one of the newer members of WISH, I like the teams. It made everything feel less overwhelming. I also like the level of accountability that comes with the teams. At least on Hakuna Matata, if someone disappears, everyone's going to "check-in" on me. I also feel much more personal with my team.

I'm probably one of those too clique-ish WISHers, but I'm working on that. Now that I've had my first full training year and am going Goofy next year, I definitely plan on more fully incorporating myself in the team.