What Student-Athletes are saying about Champions of Character

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"Mr. Miller made me realize the negative things on how I am toward myself. I am giving 80 percent instead of 100 percent. In practice the other day, I was jogging when I should have been running hard. I haven't been playing to the best of my abilities or cheering on my teammates like I should, but that is changing as of today. I'm not taking anymore shortcuts. This turned out to be a great day."

Bobby Wilcher, Student, Kennedy High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republication-American

"Sometimes, we get caught up with totally winning and forget about sportsmanship and leadership. Without those two qualities you can't win."

Reagan Byrne, Student, Woodland Regional, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

"I learned that attitudes can affect your overall ability. I need to train hard and end my career with no regrets."

Charlie Riddick, Students and three sport athlete, Kennedy High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

"I want to set a good example for freshmen and sophomores, so they grow up to be like me. There should be no cliques. We need to work together and teach the younger kids what we have learned over our careers."

Marcia Emmons, Students and softball player, Crosby High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

"Communication is so huge and I want our team to be unified. We are already one of the most unified teams in our school, but I want to implement a lot of the things we talked about to make us even better."

Meaghan Shugrue, Student and volleyball captain, Torrington High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

"How kids conduct themselves on the field is very important. When players act poorly it is a distraction. Everyone needs to focus on what they need to do and just play the game."

Matt Sheahan, Student and football and track athlete, Wolcott High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

"Mr. Miller talked a lot about mental toughness and staying positive to help the rest of the team get through the rough spots in a game or season."

Jon Ciriello, Student and basketball player, Sacred Heart High School, Oxford, CT

Courtesy of Waterbury (CT) Republican-American

In May 2006, NAIA Director of Champions of Character Initiatives Rob Miller was the guest speaker at the Naugatuck Valley League Leadership Conference in Oxford, Connecticut. Over 120 student-athletes representing 12 high schools participated in the day long event.