William Woods University (Mo.) student-athletes talk Champions of Character

Submitted by Jason Vittone, Sports Information Director, William Woods University, 573-592-1627

William Woods University and the NAIA promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics.

William Woods and the NAIA strengthen its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development.

NAIA Champions if Character is the association's flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.

With the fall sports season in full swing student-athletes at William Woods defineed what the Champions of Character core values look like in action.

William Woods University | Skye Wade | Volleyball and Basketball

RESPECT | Taking correction as a compliment. Giving 100 percent / 100 percent of the time.

When respecting oneself, a team, an organization, or another person one should follow the same guidelines no matter what.  Wikipedia’s combination of ideas fit as one true guideline for respect which is: Respect- is an assumption of good faith and competence in another person or in the whole of oneself.  Depth of integrity, trust, complementary moral values, and skill are necessary components. 

Not only does one respect themselves but also the coach, teammates, and the opponent. Respect oneself by pushing yourself mentally and physically every single practice, game, or even playing around.  Never settle for less, whether it is from the goals that have been set to dreams coming true. 

One has to respect their teammate’s ideas and abilities on the court in any situation.  Trust the way your teammate has been playing, where they are for defense, or even if it comes to the game winning point.

The coach makes the decisions on the court.  He decides who plays and who doesn’t.  You must believe he is going to put the best six on the court that are going to get the job done.  It may not always work out.  But doubting is disrespecting the ideas and the way we are coached.

Opponents are hard to respect sometimes.  They might have beaten you before, or you may have stomped them over and over again.  Regardless, you have to respect them by knowing that at any time your team could win or lose.  Respect your opponent by playing your best.  Have some guts to pass a perfect pass or make the perfect set.  If they are going to beat you then make them earn it.

In sports, a key component is the unexpected.  The ball could sway from side to side, it could drop, it could hit someone’s hand, it could have spin, injuries may occur, or gyms could leak.  These factors are out of your control.  The controllable components are to take pride in the sport, the organization, the team.  Accountability to yourself and your team; eating habits, social habits, and academic habits; knowing that when the time comes you are able to get the job accomplished.

By giving respect, in the end you will have received it.

William Woods University | Rachel Nachtweih, TJ Quick, Liz Baker | Softball

RESPONSIBILITY | Focusing attention and effort. Recovering quickly from mistakes. Staying positive no matter what.

Academic responsibility is a priority on our team.  We start off our season by setting a goal of a grade point average that we all strive to achieve.  We show our commitment to it by attending study tables our first semester on the team.  Our team also shows academic responsibility by attending all of our classes.  Our performance in class is equally as important as on the field.

Practice is our second main concern.  The minute we exit class, we hustle to the field to improve our softball skills.  It is our responsibility to come to practice early in order to properly prepare.  During practice, we are responsible not only for our own effort, but to push our teammates, so that they are giving one hundred percent as well.  We go all-out so that we leave the field better prepared for the next game than when we came.

Another responsibility we have as a team is attending weight lifting.  We rely on one another to be there two times a week by 6:15 a.m. This requires many early wake up calls and builds our team’s accountability in one another.  Much like at practice, we push each other in the weight room.  Doing this also makes us better on the field in the end.

To be on LEAD scholarship, each player is responsible for attending a certain number of events.  Balancing this with our previously mentioned busy schedule can be difficult.  However, our girls are dependably present at the required gatherings.

Last but not least, as college athletes we are responsible to keep up our softball team’s reputation.  We understand the pressures of college life and depend on one another to make the best decisions possible for the sake of our team.  All the girls understand that our actions reflect on not only ourselves but on our softball team and William Woods University.

William Woods University | Katie Joyce | Cross Country

INTEGRITY | Your "yes" means yes and your "no" means no.

Integrity means conducting oneself with moral behaviors because it is the right thing to do, not for want of reward or recognition. As a member of the William Woods University Cross-Country Team, I have witnessed our team display this core value on numerous occasions, and I know my teammates can say the same.

Running is a unique sport when considering the typical practices. Unlike the majority of sports teams which practice daily under the watchful eyes of their coaches, runners spend countless practice sessions running for miles without a coach in sight. Our team is committed to improving, therefore as easy as it would be to slack off with no immediate supervision, our team always puts in the effort and completes the miles.  Similarly, on weekends, team members perform long distance runs on their own. It is completely up to the runner to be dedicated enough to get out and actually do the run. Once again, we push ourselves and accomplish these longer runs, knowing that completing them will benefit the team.

Many of the upperclassmen on the team have conflicting practice and class schedules. It is therefore up to the team member to complete the run or workout on their own. Many times this means waking up early or squeezing in the run between classes. As difficult as this may be, these runners stick to their commitments to the team and perform the workouts individually.

Showing integrity means making the honest, moral decision. Often times, it may seem easy or convenient to be dishonest about a run or workout, but in the end, the William Woods Cross-Country Team makes the upstanding choice. We know that practicing integrity will have a positive impact on an individual and team basis and in our community.

"Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will. "

William Woods University | Gabe George | Golf

SERVANT LEADERSHIP | Putting your team first in every decision.

Throughout my time at William Woods, my teammates and I have given back to the community.  Each year we set up and take down for the charity auction at the Fulton YMCA.  Funds raised at this charity event help the Fulton YMCA provide the community essential youth and adult recreational activities.

My teammates and I have also help sell ribbons benefiting various charities such a Breast Cancer, Leukemia and Muscular Dystrophy.

I feel extremely privileged to be an athlete at William Woods.  I feel that part of being a leader is to give back to those in the community who need our help.

William Woods University | Daniel Gale and the men’s and women’s cross country teams | Cross Country

SPORTSMANSHIP | Reacting correctly even when others do not.

Sportsmanship is simply acting in way that expresses the other core values that we should already have in place. Sportsmanship means that we have integrity and we show that in our actions in and around our sport. It means that we give and in return get respect to and from all parties involved with our sport. It means that we take responsibility for everything that we do. And it means that we are showing and not just talking about being servant leaders. We can and should be obligated to show sportsmanship every single day in athletics.

We show sportsmanship by reaching out and congratulating other runners around us (even if they beat us) before we are even out of the chute and get a chance to catch our breath. We show it by not throwing a fit after we've had an off day in competition. We show it by respecting all of the runners in the race and not just the really good ones or just the ones of our same gender. Sportsmanship is involved in almost every part of our sport and there is always someone that takes notice whether we are expressing our good or bad sides.

“Sportsmanship is being humble before and after a competition. It is using appropriate behavior on and off the playing field.”
-Levi Bates

“Sportsmanship is the ethics of sport. It is how a person conducts him/herself before, during, and after a performance.”
-Brent Almand

“Sports aren't just about winning, although that’s a main goal. Sports involve learning and growing as a team and an individual. To be a respectable person we must show sportsmanship to our teammates and our opponents.”
-Renee Caldwell

“Someone who displays sportsmanship is a person who carries themselves with pride and acts respectably through both victory and defeat. Someone with good sportsmanship does not let victory go to his/her head and yet does not take the glory of victory away from others through poor conduct when he/she experiences defeat.”
-Aimee VanderWal

“Sportsmanship is something that is a representation of the individual and the team. It shows the love of the sport and the respect you have for your opponents.”
-Kelsey Barrett

“Sportsmanship is the way you appropriately conduct yourself before and after your competition. It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
-LeeAnn Beard

“Sportsmanship is showing good character consistently during both practice and competition, and always showing respect for both teammates and competitors.”
-Christine Scott

“Sportsmanship is playing the game with a purpose. It is to accept winning when you win and losing when you lose. The idea of sportsmanship is to accept the ultimate outcome of the performance and congratulate your opponent on a valiant effort after the match is completed.”
-Philip Guidry

“Sportsmanship is having a positive mind set through the game and to show respect to the other team and you own team. Win or lose, always be positive, for the love of the game.”
-Keith Jennings

“Sportsmanship is showing respect towards officials and other athletes as you compete. It is also the way you carry yourself as you compete; as in whether you're constantly bringing the rest of your team up or if you're continually bringing them down.”
-Justin Simms

“Sportsmanship is how an athlete conducts himself or herself while competing. It is showing respect to all aspects of the sport and acting with courtesy.”
-Patrick McPhail

To learn more about Champions of Character please contact the NAIA national office at 816-595-8000.