Recognition of Andrew Winters

20 October 2007

It is very appropriate to be here during half-time of this football game to make a presentation for sportsmanship. Knute Rockne, the legendary football coach at that small university just south of here in South Bend, Indiana once said: “One man practicing SPORTSMANSHIP is far better than fifty preaching it”. Closer to Andrew Winters love is a quote from Jim Courier of tennis fame: "Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you can't tell whether he's won or lost. It's going out and giving your best and honoring your opponent by giving your best all the way through, and shaking his hand at the end of the battle…”

Sportsmanship can be conceptualized as an enduring and relatively stable characteristic or disposition such that individuals differ in the way they are generally expected to behave in sport situations. In general, sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control, courage and persistence and has been associated with interpersonal concepts of treating others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control in dealing with others, and respect for both authority and opponents. Five facets of sportsmanship have been identified:

I.Full commitment to participation (e.g., showing up, working hard during all practices and games, acknowledging one’s mistakes and trying to improve)

II.Respect and concern for rules and officials

III.Respect and concern for social conventions (e.g., shaking hands, recognizing the good performance of an opponent)

IV.Respect and concern for the opponent (e.g., lending one’s equipment to the opponent, agreeing to play even if the opponent is late, not taking advantage of injured opponents)

V.Avoiding poor attitudes toward participation (e.g., not adopting a win-at-all-costs approach, not showing temper after a mistake, and not competing solely for individual prizes)

It is very clear from examples given to the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct on behalf of Andrew Winters that he truly embodies both the definition and the ethos of the Sportsmanship. While we all have observed over in recent years, behavior in sport that needs to be eliminated, Andrew:

I. exemplified responsibility to team commitments. In 2 years he missed zero practices. His level of commitment earned him the title of captain the past two years.

II. in a sport where you are your own referee, Andrew is well known by his opponents for his integrity.

III. Andrew has always respected the play of his opponent. He can be overheard saying “That’s good stuff, Nate” or “Nice shot, Adam” in response to a good play.

IV. known by his nickname of Boomer, Andrew has been both a role model and inspiration to team members to the point that they would ask themselves the question “What would Boomer Do?” when faced with a challenging situation.

V. while being proficient in his sport and in the classroom with a 3.9+ GPA in his double major of math and economics, Andrew has still found the time to be a SAAC representative and St. Norbert’s SAAC representative to the Midwest Conference SAAC, as well as volunteering in the community with Circle K, Boys and Girls Club, Shack-a-thon and youth soccer.

It is my great pleasure to present Andrew Winters this plaque from the NCAA recognizing as him as the Division III Male Sportsperson of the Year for 2006-7 academic year. Congratulations!