Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton winner, a member of Team USA and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.) . "Taylor's Takes" is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.

Week 4 is officially under our belts here in the Athletes Unlimited bubble, and it looked a little different for me than in weeks past.

We still had our morning practices, lobby breakfast chats with the dogs and training room hangouts like before, but unlike the previous weeks of competition, Week 4 was the first time that I was not just playing — I was also a captain.

Being a captain was a huge honor and a true testament to the amazing teams I had been on in the weeks prior. No one has made it to the top four on the leaderboard without being surrounded by incredible teammates and talented players, and this week was no exception.

With the position came more responsibility and challenges, but again was made easier with such fantastic people surrounding me in my teammates and facilitator Lauren Kahn.

I had a blast with the group I was with this week, and we played some awesome lacrosse, too. This week’s Taylor’s Takes features some of my thoughts on what it’s like to be a captain at AU … I hope you enjoy!

DRAFTING IS HARD

Trying to come up with a draft strategy is really difficult because so much is dependent upon what the other three captains decide to do.

Kayla Treanor went first in Week 4’s draft, and with the second choice, I was able to secure a top-notch midfielder, center and competitor in Marie McCool. From there, we worked together to build a well-rounded team that we felt would not only be talented on field but fun to be around off field.

POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE IS KEY

The phrase used by so many during our time in AU has been “good vibes.” 

With us living in such a highly charged and competitive environment day in and day out, it’s so helpful to be around people who keep things light and fun. Working alongside teammates who are positive and keep the energy high makes the grueling weeks of practice and three games per weekend more manageable and a lot more fun.

TRUST YOUR TEAMMATES AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE

So many of us here at AU coach at various levels in addition to still playing. The level of lacrosse IQ in each player is staggering, and combined we see things in such a highly analytical way.

The teams who have been most successful on the field throughout the weeks are the ones who not only trust each other’s individual lax IQ, but also the ones who have the most fun out here and don’t try to overcomplicate things too much. As a captain, my goal was for each player to feel they were on a team where they were able to shine and do what they do best.

GO WITH YOUR GUT

Whether it’s deciding who to draft or making a key substitution in a game, captains are sometimes put in difficult situations throughout the week.

When in a sticky spot, I found it most helpful to get different perspectives from teammates and our facilitator, think through options and opinions quickly and then ultimately go with my gut if I was the one who had to make the final call.

I wasn’t always right, but with games on the line or the draft clock winding low, my gut is what often took over in the end.

HAVE FUN

How often do we as adults get the opportunity to choose our own team aside from pickup basketball or pool volleyball?

The draft was such a rare opportunity in which we literally couldn’t go wrong because all players here are amazing, so I really tried to enjoy the process — even with the stress that came along with it.