By Tarah Cieslak

Attitude, drive, commitment, effort... Every person needs these qualities to succeed and move forward with what they are doing. Especially as athletes, these qualities are very, very important with helping us move forward and helping us reach our goals. Even with all of these qualities, we need something extra, something a little more... We need support throughout our failures, and when we meet challenges while attaining these essential aspects.

After really thinking about it, there is one thing that stands out more than anything, something that I find I can always rely on to support me at anytime, no matter what direction I am headed, and that is the people around me. Family, coaches, and teammates couldn't seem more important to me when it comes to the sport I do. As a biathlete and cross-country skier, I have realized how much time and commitment is needed, how much effort you must put into your training if you want to move forward, and how much you can be affected by the people you are with.

Being together can sometimes seem frustrating, but at the end of the day, I am usually able to get over any little thing that has bothered me, mainly because it's hard to forget how great these people are, and how much they influence me.

Coaches: These are people who are here to help you out, and you guide you. These people have taught you how to be an athlete, the responsibilities that come with it, what to do in certain situations and what you need to know to excel in the future. These people do the organizing, the planning, and they work around the abilities of each individual, working hard to make everything fit into everybody's schedule. Without coaches, we would not be a proper team, and we would not be anywhere close to where we are at now.

Family: Family is the one group of people that has been there for you your whole life. They have supported you the most out of anyone else, and they continue to support you, through whatever choices you have, and will make. Without family, us as athletes would not have the opportunity to do what we do. Without the support of our families, no athlete could be as involved with such a demanding sport. Families support us financially, emotionally, they drive us around, and even other athlete's parents other than our own are there to cheer us on and support and help out with the club as a whole.

Teammates: As an athlete, I find that teammates are the most important people when it comes to biathlon and cross-country skiing. Teammates are not only fun people to be around, but they seem to push you harder than anyone else; they inspire you to keep going when you want to stop, and they are always there for you, no matter what is going on. Without teammates, it would be very hard to be an individual athlete, and I know that I would be far from the same athlete I am now. Still every day, I learn something from another athlete on the team, I usually have a good laugh with at least one or all of them, and I seem to appreciate them more and more, because their support is always present.

I can't picture what it would be like without these people, our sport would incredibly different and I as an athlete would be entirely different because of how strongly I depend on these peoples support.