Being a teen - like being on a cycling team?!

A lot has happened in the last few months. Like a certain professional cycling team, the youth have been trying to find their leader. Some of the youth have brought in new team members (their friends), ultimately changing the make-up of the group, and its personality.
As with the cycling team, the personality of the Team that has been dominate for so long, is being changed by the newer members - it is a new order, a new way of working, a new way of thinking. The younger team has new ways of thinking, new ways of getting the work done and are refreshing, much like the younger personality in the cyling team.
But unlike the cycling team, the older personality and make-up of the Team, isn't complaining. They're figuring out how to work with the new group. Yes, they feel a little out of place at times, they struggle to keep up, they have to work harder when they're working. But they aren't put off, they aren't running their mouths.
Both personalities of our Team are taking the high road. They're doing what they can to work together. There are challenges, and once in a while, you get a snippy comment by one or the other, but they are committed to accept one another, to work together. Afterall, I've made it clear, I'm not taking sides - I'm hoping we'll be able to figure out who we are and stay together.
But, this also makes me think about how much being a teen is like being a part of a cylcing team. For one, you can't make it through your teen years on your own. You need to have friends around you, people to support you, to carry you when you need a little carrying, and to cheer you on when you win or when you need it most. But also, we need to be able to cheer our friends on, we need to be able to think not just of ourselves, but of all our friends. Often, we're defined by our friends as teens. We can often only be as strong as the rest of our team, our supports.
Yet, when you're a teen, you also have your own personality, and try to find your individuality, just like individual cyclists. Juxting for your own self-esteem, trying to figure out who you are... Your friends are important, but your own person is who you're looking to to promote, to develop.
So as our team works to figure out who we are, as we work to figure out who our own leader is, as we try to figure out what our priorities are, I play the role of supporter. Of confirmer. Of promoter. This amazing group of youth deserves nothing less. And time with each of them is precious.
Just for the record, however, I greatly admire the newer face on the cycling team. That face has held itself high, battled on the road and ultimately proved who is the best in the world. Bravo, AC. Bravo.