BLOG: "One Team One Dream"

It was a phrase we used to say in the office to lighten the atmosphere and way to brag about the academic success of our student-athletes.

"We were the Harvard of the NECC" was the phrase used in referencing how Newbury College had more student-athletes on the academic all-conference team than any other member institution. We weren't being serious. Newbury and Harvard could not have been further apart. 

Harvard was the prestigious, well-respected beacon of higher education and students attending were all at the very peak of their high school class. On the athletic side, Harvard - a Division I institution - was rich in it facilities and fitness centers. Compare that to, Newbury where most of the students were first-generation college students, possibly working full-time and attending college in hopes for a better future. To say Newbury, a Division III school and a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC), had very little resources would be an understatement. It had no on-campus athletic facilities and coaches and student-athletes hopped in 15-passenger vans to its home athletic contests at Hellenic College and Pine Manor College. Sometimes home events would be 30 to 45 minutes away in Brockton or Nashua, New Hampshire. 

From the outside looking in, the worlds of Harvard and Newbury could not have been further distanced. Or so we all thought. 

Having spent time at both places, I've come to realize that this is not the case. Harvard may have had better facilities, and students that were present with greater opportunities and tutors growing up, it is not all that different than Newbury.  It's the people that make Harvard great, just like it was the people who made Newbury great. 

At Newbury, the athletic department was a team and we coined the phrases "one team one dream" that we all lived by. It's what drove us. Flash forward to January 2020, I was speaking with an associate athletic director and bring up the phrase and she immediately thought it was a cool phrase. Not too long afterward I brought it up with the associate head coach of women's swimming and diving, she loved it too. 

I thought that was the end of it, but last month after announcing captains for the 2020-21 academic year and posting on Instagram that same associate head coach used the hashtag #oneteamonedream. 

Who would've thought something from a small Division III institution would provide so much inspiration to place like Harvard? But when you really think about it, it's about the people. It doesn't matter what division the school is, if the students get 4.0 GPA and 1600 on the SATs or 2.6 students with a moderate 1000 on the SAT. All that matters is the people who are making that educational experience a positive one. 

A lot of things in life trickle down from the top-tier organizations, but sometimes, the most important things rise from lower organizations. It doesn't matter if it's a Division III school or an Ivy League institution, it's alway come down to the people. Hire, trust, work and play with good people and you will have an outstanding organization.