On the first day of cherubs my instructor Stacey threatened to trade the weak link. I shuddered.

In elementary school I would fake a fever to be excused from Presidential Fitness tests in PE class. As I grew older I developed an aversion for competition of all kinds, athletic and otherwise. I convinced myself that there was something fundamentally wrong with one person going against another, which served as a great excuse for my ineptitude in sports.

But in the one place where I thought I could avoid the aggressive types who had thrown dodge balls at my head, I was suddenly surrounded by them. Of course, the game of choice was played with prepositions and fact checking, but nonetheless it was a competition.

Sitting on the grass outside of Fisk, Stacey’s team met for the first time. Stacey explained that she was a winner and that there was no way we would leave this program as anything less than champions. I scanned the circle, hoping to see another kid sitting crisscrossed on the floor, eyes bulging in fear. But, I was alone. Around me, my team cheered and yelled phrases reserved for motivational speakers.

Looking back, it’s hard to remember a time where I was so frightened by team spirit. I’m ashamed, yet slightly amused as I go through Stacey’s pictures of our team competing. There I am, standing awkwardly on the outskirts of the circle, trying to devise a plan to get out of the water balloon toss.

As the program continued, I met team activities with less and less animosity. In one of our last competitions, karaoke, I became particularly enthusiastic while practicing our rendition of “Party in the USA.” I even found myself spitting out phrases like, “Let’s just go for it!” and “Now this time for Stacey!”

Before trudging up the dormitory stairs, I stare proudly at the score board behind the Plexiglas. Stacey’s team has managed to stay atop the competition for the entire five weeks. I have no idea how my team was able to pull it off. Some say we cheated. But it can probably be traced to the first day when Stacey was able to scare even her weakest link into shaping up and getting aggressive.