Change Of Scenery: Is It Time For You To Move On To A New Team?

It’s the first day of autumn and that means change. The leaves are starting to change colors, the temperature is beginning to drop and every store now offers something “pumpkin.”

The changing seasons are a good time to think about a change of scenery. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes players and coaches simply need to move on to a new location or organization to regain their mojo or get their careers back on track.

Are you in need of a change of scenery? Let’s take a look at some key indicators to see if it may be time for a change:

1. Locker Room Drama

Locker rooms are typically powder kegs, just waiting to go off. With the mix of different people and personalities, the emotions that run high throughout the season and the level of competitiveness in the room, clashes are bound to happen. And a bad locker room situation is a dangerous one to be a part of.

Locker room stability is key to success, as a house divided cannot stand. What’s the temperature of your locker room? Is there drama or ongoing conflicts?

Even if you’re not involved in a conflict or a contributor to the dysfunction, a bad locker room is not conducive to a winning culture. And if you ARE the one butting heads with teammates … it’s time to move on.

2. A Defeated Attitude

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with locker room drama, but you should also think about the general and overall attitude of your team.

Do your teammates remain engaged, passionate and positive after losses? Or does it feel like the rest of your team gets down and defeated?

Sports, no matter the level of play, should be fun. While winning is important, so is enjoying what you’re doing. Whether it stems from the coaches, players or organizational leadership, a bad attitude or defeated mentality is a big indicator that it’s time to leave.

3. (Lack Of) Personal Relationships

Again, teams feature many different personalities; so when emotions run high, those personalities may clash.

If you have any type of personal issues with a coach or teammate you must work them out. If the issues can’t be ironed out and linger or do not improve, it may be time to think about your options and look to move elsewhere.

This is especially true if your issues are related to the coach. When you can’t get along with the leader, your situation isn’t going to improve. And while you may be able to avoid one teammate, you can’t simply avoid your coach. If you and coach can’t see eye-to-eye, it is definitely time for a change of scenery.

4. Your Status As A Player

This is a tough one, because you truly have to be honest with yourself and be able to objectively look at your skill level.

If you are a star-quality athlete and you don’t feel like you’re being given the proper amount of playing time or the right role or position, you should explore other opportunities. Again, be sure to honestly evaluate yourself before jumping to conclusions here, because most athletes have the confidence that they deserve to be first-string when they don’t.

This may even require a sit down with your coach. See what they have to say about your game. If the assessment seems accurate, you may just need to work harder or adjust your perspective. If it seems as though your coach is determined to have you ride the bench and not get a chance to prove yourself, then it may be time to find a team that is going to value your contributions.

Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you planned. If you’re struggling to fit in with your teammates, the scheme or the locker room culture, it may be time for a change of scenery.

Change Your Scenery

Author Bio

Travis Armideo, marketing manager at Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, is a lifelong ice hockey player. He began playing for various clubs at a young age and continued onto junior teams, while also playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Travis is still heavily involved in athletics, coaching high school and youth ice hockey athletes, as well as playing men’s league ice hockey on a regular basis.