2009-11-04
The University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College has once again been named a “Champions Of Character” institution by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
This is the ninth consecutive year that Rio Grande has been awarded this honor, which is based on a philosophy of teaching character values such as integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. It can be very challenging to be a part of this program, but Rio Grande has been awarded this distinction every year that the NAIA has selected colleges and universities for the program.
All institutions that take part in the Champions of Character program focus on instilling an understanding of character values in sports, and they provide student-athletes, coaches and parents the training needed to help them know how to act the right way both inside and outside of sports settings.
The Champions of Character program is dedicated to the principle that character is a choice and that being a champion is not just about winning, but about making good decisions consistently in daily life.
In order to be recognized for the NAIA program, school have to complete application forms discussing the program, and then their applications are reviewed by a team directed by NAIA Vice President of Champions of Character Rob Haworth.
Each school selected for the program must incorporate the core values in the campus community and educate their student-athletes, coaches, parents and fans on the specific standards and expectations.
“The Champions of Character program supports performance-driven athletics while defining expectations and standards that drive successful teams and athletic departments,” Haworth said. “I congratulate these fine institutions and thank the administrators, coaches and student-athletes for playing a role in advancing character-driven intercollegiate athletics.”
Rio Grande has excellent athletic programs that regularly compete against top teams from around the country. But while the teams all strive to excel on the court and on the playing field, Rio Grande also focuses on the work the teams do off the court, which is why the Champions of Character program is so important to the institution.
Rio Grande proudly announces at its athletic events that it is a Champions of Character institution, and the coaches and athletic department officials continually stress to the student-athletes that they should represent the university well, take part in community service projects and maintain high standards of character.
The athletic teams are regularly involved in community service projects on campus and in the community such as picking up trash, working with the Special Olympics program, talking with children from area schools and participating in programs such as food drives and fundraisers.
Rio Grande coaches also stress high character standards in all of their programs and help their student-athletes to become not just outstanding athletes, but also outstanding people.
Rio Grande officials are proud that the NAIA is recognizing the university once again this year as a Champions of Character institution, but they are even more proud of the way the student-athletes on campus have responded to the program and gotten so involved in helping the community. Rio Grande has always produced plenty of winners on the court and athletics fields. The Champions of Character Award is proof that the university is also producing student-athletes who are winners in life.
For more information on Rio Grande Athletics and the Champions of Character program, call the Athletic Department at 1-800-282-7201 or log onto www.ChampionsofCharacter.org.
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