Being under appreciated as a captain

[AmitB]

well, im not gonna elaborate....but i definitly agree that captains are underappreciated, i think it takes being captain to really understand what its like.

 

[ambarishraja]

I think the appreciation is more of an unspoken thing. I really like what PDDS mentioned in that they all spread out the responsibility, but its a lot harder to do on a college campus considering the lack of commitment, and an overall lack of knowledge. Some of the stuff the captain is responsible for...choreo, starching/tying paghs, keeping outfits together really goes unappreciated, but the reward lies in the fact that when a team places, or even does really well at a competition, I feel that 90 percent of the credit goes to the captain, regardless of the amount of work they do. Think about it, Vic has as much "bhangra street cred" as anyone on the circuit, but come gameday, especially at avap, it looked like everyone on the team was helping out, and when they rocked out, everyone was quick to congratulate him and his hard work. You shouldn't go into being a captain wanting appreciation or credit. The year I was capt for UNC I didn't know jack about bhangra, or choreo in general, but my only mission was to make sure that UNC Bhangra Elite lasted for another year...and I'm glad I did cause big boy Amit Bhatti came along and revolutioned North Carolinian bhangra.

 

[gifty]

I personally believe a key element that is overlooked, is the experience of a dancer regarding teamwork, ethics, hard work etc. From my experience, and some can probably relate, if a dancer has played organized sports in his/her life, he/she deals with adversity, perseverance, leadership, respect and love for his/her game/sport/dance, which ultimately leads to respect of coach(es) and captain(s). It is easier to divide responsibilities towards others as well. When you deal with dancers that have not had that experience, it is much tougher, as they can't grasp reality of being spoken to, or taking a command from his/her leader, and fulfilling their needs/wishes.

As a captain, you carry a status that is already above the team, you are a leader, role model, and that shoe string that holds the team together. It is your job to teach them elements they are missing. You can whine, moan, bitch and cry all you want, but that wont get you any appreciation. Do i feel down when a dancer doesn't recognize my hard work, and i get blown away like I'm just thin air? of course! Do i show it to the rest of the team? No way! Some people are just born to be leaders, others are not.

To elaborate a little further on the friendship thing. We have a motto with our team. What happens in practice, stays at practice. Learn to differentiate your friendship and bhangra. Talk about it, have meetings, hold a motivational speech ( it really makes a difference).

Anyways those are my $.02

 

[Kaur]

We all have to do soo much etc etc etc....but Vic( sgpd) has always told me to suck it up and I agree. If you signed up for the title, then this is all that comes along with it. I mean how many of us go up to our parents and teacher and tell them how much we appreciate everything they do for us?....so you cant really expect ur team to do the same. We do it because we love it, if theirs a real problem then maybe the team should split up jobs , with panj theirs about 4 of us who take charge....

 

[Vic]

Everyone needs to suck it up lol.

Seriously though, you need to think about it. If you don't do the work, who's going to do it?

Also, you know that even if someone on your team did help out, you would want it done differently lol.

 

[Vick]

Would cookies help you guys feel more appreciated? I mean seriously, what kind of appreciation do you want? If words meant that much to you, you're a captain for all the wrong reasons... Real captains control their emotions..

 

[Hans]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually agree with Vick wholeheartedly, and Nikhil elaborated on that well. I was a captain for 3 years, and what I've learned from all that is that if you feel like you're under-appreciated to the extent that many people on this thread seem to feel, then you're probably doing something wrong as a captain.

It's very easy to criticize your team members for failing to show you the respect or appreciation you feel you "deserve," but the truth is that you have to earn that. As a captain, you choose to be the leader and you choose to accept any responsibilities that come with that. If you truly deserve your team members' or other people's respect, you will get it. If you find yourself complaining more often than not, then you're most likely doing something wrong. That's just my opinion on the matter, but I feel it's a pretty educated one.

 

[Vick]

If Hans feel that his opinion is an "educated" one, he knows what he's talking about... hahaha...

 

[Sidhu]

well said naveen my friend!

hahaha shut up surmeet. you're the worst team mate ever... haha

 

[faizan]

i'm team Vick on this one.

 

[Harman]

biggest pet peave...........people getting lazy when it comes down to getting outfits ready.........Maava (thnx faizan we kno u did it the most) to ironing outfits, to just packing them up afta comps..........i hate it when ppl fail to properly fold their outfits, the worst is paggs. WHen it comes to folding them everyone seems to dissapper

 

[Jason]

biggest pet peave...........people getting lazy when it comes down to getting outfits ready.........Maava (thnx faizan we kno u did it the most) to ironing outfits, to just packing them up afta comps..........i hate it when ppl fail to properly fold their outfits, the worst is paggs. WHen it comes to folding them everyone seems to dissapper

so true haha ...at the end of a performance or competition its so hard to get everyone to fold things but finally b2b has made a habit of it, after a year! ...and the one thing i noticed during all this was that its always the guys that are lazy, the girls are fine with packin their stuff up, but overall when b2b started it was difficult running things and getting everyhting organized but now i wouldnt chnage a thing, everyone on the team knows whats up and puts in their time when things need to get done. big up to all the other caps cuz i know the things you guys go thru and put up with and especially for the new teams that are just starting out!

 

[mafzal]

I don't think people on here are complaining, but more like venting at how they want things to be better. For example Parul and I don't mind calling certain boys 15 times just to collect their vests back, but we do wish they would be responsible enough to bring the vests back folded nicely on their own... I think it's more like we're looking for appreciation in the form of respect and commitment and taking what we ask seriously.

"Suck it up" really doesn't help anyone. So for anyone of who you do feel underappreciated, think. Is there something specific that bothers you? Try to pinpoint out the problems and fix them. Maybe you feel mistreated... because no one should feel underappreciated as captain if things are going okay, even without thank yous or any spoken words the dance should speak for everyone. Separate your friendships out - this is like a job. Just focus on your work and the satisfaction will come. Lastly don't forget, [thanks to BTF] at least you know there are bunches of us out there who feel just like you!

 

[Naveen Singh Khokhar]

haha this thread is like rehab for those who feel underappreciated but i still think captains know what they signed up for and should "suck it up" Yea a captain should tell people to be more respectful and to get shit together, but a captain shouldn't b lookin for or hoping for appreciation. if ur a captain get ur own shit together and assign jobs. make it simpler for urself. don jus go and complain about problems. go figure it out with ur team. and like i said earlier ppl will be bitches about doin stuff and cleanin up but if the responsibility is spread out enough cleanin up is not thaat big of a deal.