Gain Strength from your Team

Whether you are new to forensics or a seasoned veteran, you can learn something from your teammates. Even if each person on your team competes in a different category, you can learn from each other. There are several ways to do this.

Practice together (at least) occasionally
Even if your practices or coaching sessions are usually held by category, practicing together every so often can yield surprisingly positive results. For example, someone who competes in Dramatic Interpretation can learn a new way to calm the nerves from a teammate who competes in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Similarly, someone who is focused on Impromptu might learn a voice modulation technique from a veteran of Extemporaneous competitions.

Use travel time
Road trips to and from competitions can be mind-numbingly boring. Use this time to talk to your teammates. Find out why they chose their categories, what other activities they participate in, how they prepare for competitions, and so on. You will learn more about them, their categories, and even other activities at your school. This information can be helpful in another way, though: you will have a built-in resource network if you ever think about changing categories.

Use your coach
Your coach can be a very valuable resource. He or she can help you with simple things such as pronunciation of words, interpretation of rules, or possible sources of additional research. However, you can also turn to your coach for advice about more fundamental matters, such as finding the perfect piece or changing categories.

Your team can be a source of strength, support, motivation, assistance, and ideas. Tap into this infinite resource by getting to know your teammates and using your time together to everyone’s best advantage.

haha, I was on a small team, so it was near impossible to not know your teammates. You're right though, use the bus time to get to know your team. Competing is great, but some of the best memories involve team goofing-off time :)