How to Be a Supportive Teammate (Even When You’re Competing)

Irish dancing has a special magic: it’s an individual sport performed shoulder to shoulder with your friends. You might compete directly against your teammates, then share hugs, photos, and post-feis treats moments later.

Being a supportive teammate, even while fiercely chasing your own goals, is a skill. Here are three powerful ways to master it.

1. Choose Celebration Over Comparison

It’s easy for the mind to slip into quiet comparison: “Her turnout was so clean,” “His rhythm sounded stronger than mine.”

But each time you catch that thought, you have a chance to reframe it. Try turning it into a celebration:

🌱 Instead of “I’ll never be that good,” try “I love how strong her cuts are - I’m going to focus on that in class.”

Not only does this shift protect your own confidence, it also fuels genuine admiration. Compliment your teammates on what you noticed. This creates an environment where everyone is motivated to keep growing, because wins are shared, not hoarded.

2. Anchor into Shared Purpose

When you’re all at a feis together, remember you’ve likely spent countless hours in the same class, tying each other’s laces, swapping drills, and sharing energy. That means even though the marks might separate you on paper, your deeper purpose is shared:

• to dance your best,
  
  
• to represent your school proudly,
  
  
• to create memories that last beyond any result.
  
  

Before results, or while warming up, consciously bring this shared mission to mind. It’s a quiet mental anchor that keeps you bonded. A simple squeeze of a teammate’s hand, or whispering “Let’s smash it today” connects you back to what truly matters.

3. Speak the Language of Possibility

When you talk to your teammates, especially after they dance, focus on language that uplifts. This will help to guide your friends (and yourself) to focus on growth and potential. It plants powerful seeds of belief. Your words create internal pictures and impact your feelings, so use words that build.

Even simple phrases like:

• “You’re getting stronger every feis.”
  
  
• “That set had such power - it’s all coming together.”
  
  
• “Imagine how incredible that’s going to look in a few months.”
  
  

help create future-focused, confident mindsets.

Irish dance is full of medals and trophies, but it’s the bonds you build that will outlast any medal. By celebrating, anchoring into shared purpose, and choosing language that uplifts, you become the kind of teammate who makes this journey unforgettable, not just for yourself, but for everyone who ties their light shoes beside you.