November 16, 2021 • Athletic Administration • Coaching

5 Characteristics of Champions

Are champions born or are they molded by their experiences? The answer is probably a mixture of the two. While there are born winners among us, becoming a champion — or developing a championship mindset — can be nurtured. Anyone who’s been a coach, teacher, or parent knows that.

But what characteristics do you share? Where do you start? With so many options, the choice is yours to decide what is most important to you and your players. If you’re struggling for inspiration, we at Coach & Athletic Director want to help point you in the right direction.

Below are five — but not the only five — characteristics of champions.

Courage & Compassion
All champions have enormous courage to go after their goals. They are not afraid of failure. They take calculated risks. Have compassion for every member of your team and treat everyone with respect.
Perseverance
All of us can set lofty goals and that is the starting point. Once that is done the next step is going after your goals with relentless persistence. This is the true holy grail of all champions from every walk of life. They have persisted longer than any reasonable person can think of.
Belief in Oneself
It is unlikely that everyone will believe you. In fact, the only person who can believe in your dream is you. If you believe in yourself then everything else is possible. Believe in yourself even when no one else does. Fortitude is another key that is similar as it involves having an unshakable belief in yourself no matter what obstacles you face.
Sacrifice
It goes without saying that all champions are prepared to sacrifice. It has been said that successful people do the things that others don’t so that they can reach where other people cannot. Be willing to sacrifice some things that are dear to you to achieve what you really want.
Integrity & Respect
Champions exhibit integrity and respect in all areas of their life. If a champion says they never give up then even when they are down at halftime they come all guns blazing in the second half. They stick to what they say they are.

» ALSO SEE: 4 Tips to Starting a Unified Sports Program

In this edition of Coach & Athletic Director, dubbed the Champions & Inspiration Issue, we have submissions on the secrets to collegiate success for student-athletes, how to go about adding unified sports to your athletic program, defining the difference between cockiness and confidence.

Enjoy this month’s issue!