It wasn't about one, two, three strikes or being out at the old ball game for members of the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey's Athletics intramural softball team. It was all about building relationships.
Head coach Michael Bush said he wanted to build camaraderie within the organization and decided that the softball diamond would be a good place to start.
"Camaraderie on the field carried into the work place," said the coach and contract specialist at ACC-NJ, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. "This team literally put co-workers on the same playing field. Players ranged from interns to mangers, all coming from different departments throughout the organization."
According to Anthony Barker, the team of 23 ACC-NJ employees and family members relied on a lot of communicating to keep things in perspective.
"Communication is an important factor in the workplace; same goes for sports, recreation or not," said Barker, who played several positions during the year. "If you don't have clear communication, errors can and probably will be made and frustration will begin to develop within the organization. Establishing good communication with co-workers and teammates allows for everybody to not only understand what their assignment or task is."
Bush said the opportunity allowed team members to learn more about each other away from the job. He hopes those relationships will translate to an increase in communication among the workforce.
For Bush, winning was secondary to camaraderie.
"I tried to give playing time to anyone who had an interest in the team and wanted to have fun," he said. "As a result, this turned out to be a very fun team to play for. We had more heart than any team in the league and that created some suspenseful games and good come-backs."
For some being on the diamond was just about fun.
"The whole experience was fun for me," said Stephanie Nye, a contracting noncommissioned officer and the team's catcher. "I enjoyed the practices, games and our after-game get togethers as a team. We were always pumped up and ready to play and that made it enjoyable to be a part of it. I look forward to next season."
Bush said he knew things were headed in the right direction once he saw co-workers in the stands supporting the team.
"The team became the buzz of the office," he said. "On sunny days, co-workers would attend games so they could share a few laughs."
Once the dust settled and the season was over, the team made the playoffs but lost in the first round.
"I always said building quality relationships between co-workers outside of the office allows for a positive atmosphere and a better work-life experience," Bush said. "A positive atmosphere helps people become more efficient at their job. I encourage any interaction or extracurricular activity outside of the workplace that builds relationships. I challenge anyone to put in the extra effort to accomplish this and build those types of relationships, not only for themselves but for their organization."
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