You are more comfortable talking to your friends than you are a complete stranger, right? Most people are. Being a part of a team requires communication and people are more likely to communicate with people they know and are comfortable talking to. The WHS varsity girl’s soccer team has discovered this.

“Bonding really helps the team. It helps them develop a much better relationship team wide, which will lead to better play on the field,” varsity coach Chris Lanemann said.  “The more comfortable you are with your teammates, the more you trust them on the field. You will work together better. It improves communication.”

The girls have realized that Lanemann’s statement is true.

“I feel that we communicate better as a team and there is no problems like the previous years,” senior Johanna Collins said. “We all get along pretty great.”

This year the female soccer teams are doing team bonding activities to gain some communication skills on the field.

“At team bonding events, games or activities are held that we believe will benefit the team as a whole,” Collins said.

Sometimes events are held at practice when the team creates the activities, other times they are required by the coaches, like Wednesdays after school. The teams usually practice and have team bonding events separately, so having the required Wednesdays after school allows both JV and varsity to be together.

“On Wednesdays when we are required to go to the library, I feel we get to know everyone a little bit better even if we are doing homework,” Collins said. “It allows the JV and varsity players to bond and get to know each other a little more.”

With the seniors graduating last year, the team this year is pretty young.

“We are a much younger team,” Lanemann said. “We had quite a few freshmen make varsity this year.”

The team bonding is helping the freshman feel at ease.

“It helps me feel like I belong and helps me with knowing I can talk to them [teammates] and they have my back on the field,” freshman Sophia Kramer said.

Freshman Jena Monehan feels like she’s been playing with this team for longer than — month(s).

“This year the team is a young team and we have bonded so much more with everybody,” Monehan said. “We all talk and work together like we have been playing together for a while.”

Throughout the season, Lanemann hopes the team uses communication to become a stronger team.

“My goal is for us to finish the season strong going into districts and win our district,” Lanemann said.

Lanemann already sees progress coming from the team bonding events.

“It [team bonding] builds good relationships which helps our focus be singular instead of individual,” Lanemann said. “I know it has paid off so far.”