CHARACTER

You identify yourself by what you do when no one is watching.  The supervised athlete may be the harest worker, the most selfless and responsible competitor.  But how he practice3s when no one sees him, how he interacts with teammates when the coach is not within listening distance -- that's when he defines himself.  His character.

Theodore Roosevelt extend the definition to self-awareness and independent self-evaluation saying, "I care not what others think of what I do, but care very much about what I think of what I do.  That is character."

From "Coaching The Mental Game" by H. A. Dorman

A CHAMPION'S ATTITUDE

"Today I will do what others won't,

so tomorrow I can accomplish

what others can't."

-Jerry Rice-

WHAT MADE TED WILLIAMS GREAT

"Ted Williams, who knew just about everything there was to know about hitting, was always trying to learn more."

-Ernie Harwell

AIM HIGH TO REACH YOUR GOAL

"If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it; every arrow that files feels the attraction of earth."

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

THE ULTIMATE TEAM PLAYER

For the first 10 years of his career, Ron Harper played for Cleveland, Toronto and the Los Angeles Clippers.  He averaged nearly 20 points a game over those 10 years.  In that time he went to the playoffs four times and never won a series. Over the next seven years, he spend five with Chicago and the last two with the Los Angeles Lakers.  Five of those years, Harper played on teams that won the World Championship though only once did average over double figures.  He altered his role for the good of the team and was reward with championships.

"Perhaps the most moving speaker was Ron Harper, who talked about what it was like to be playing the limited, unglamorous role of defensive specialist on this team after years of being the main man on weak teams. It was so much sweeter, he said, being just a cog on a winning team than being the superstar on a weak one."

From "Playing for Keeps" by David Halberstam