Having integrity is a vital part of being not only a champion of character, but also an athlete. A formal definition of integrity is simply basing one’s actions on a consistent set of values. A person who is said to have integrity has his or her own set of beliefs and acts in a manner that is consistent with those beliefs. Essentially, someone with integrity says what they will do and then they do it.

Keeping this in mind, “the concept of integrity is directly linked to responsibility in that achievement spawning from principles is designed with a specific outcome in mind”.  Therefore, integrity and responsibility both go hand in hand with one another and are both basic principles of being a champion of character.

Being an athlete, particularly a baseball player, requires a considerable amount of integrity. You are expected to be accountable for your actions and what you say you will do. I have learned that you may not always be able to control the desired outcome, but you must be able to believe in the person next to you and what they say they will do. Without responsibility and integrity we would not be able to strive and work towards goals that we set not only as a team, but also as individuals.

This being my fourth and final year at William Woods I have seen a tremendous amount of integrity within our baseball team. We have always kept a relatively high cumulative grade point average; we attend LEAD events, lifting sessions, scheduled practices, and sometimes unfortunately non-scheduled practices, fundraising events, time working on the baseball field itself, and community service events. Fundamentally, this is what being a champion of character is all about.

Being a William Woods baseball player requires integrity with responsibility on and off the field. We believe in one another and realize that each one of us is working hard to score that winning run and make that final out. We don’t jump on each other if things aren’t necessarily going our way, if someone kicks a ball, or if someone strikes out for his third time of the game. Our coach always tells us that physical mistakes will happen, but it is the elimination of mental mistakes that will make us a great baseball team. That phrase in and of itself is a great example of having integrity in that you know what you are supposed to do and then you must complete the task at hand.