Athletics: Class is for Everyone

What is class?

It’s something that is hard to define but easy to recognize. It is being a good person, always taking responsibility and sharing consideration for the consequences your actions have for others. It’s having humility, poise, confidence, and above all, tremendous pride.

Classy people handle victory and defeat the same way – graciously with their heads held high. they don’t brag in victory or make excuses in defeat. Class always shows whether you win or lose. If you have class, you don’t need much of anything else.

It doesn’t cost anymore or take any extra time or energy to have class. Class doesn’t make you any less a competitor, nor any less aggressive. You don’t lose your edge by having class. Class actually gives you an edge on your opponent. You have poise that will allow you to concentrate more, and by concentrating more, you’ll win more. You’ll always have an edge on your opponent because they will waste energy wondering why you have so much class, and wishing they did. And, you’ll have the crowd behind you. In a close contest, it could be the edge you need to win.

Exhibiting class is a responsibility of everyone here at U-High – administrators, teachers, coaches, players, students, and parents. Everyday we all have the opportunity to exemplify class. We need to treat each other with dignity and respect, and show this to all our u-high family as well as our opponents and officials. Respect must become a way of life in our school. We need to encourage our students to discuss issues, feelings, and frustrations by modeling appropriate behaviors. School atmosphere, attitude, and environment affect the way we behave. If those ideals are elevated to the highest levels, one of the best results will be student
respect.

We should direct the efforts of our activities programs to exemplify “respect and sportsmanship” as our core values and beliefs.

First class means:

  1. treating others as you would like them to treat you. be considerate of others.
  2. striving hard to be the best at what you do while taking the needs of others into consideration.
  3. showing confidence in the way you look, the way you dress, and the way you act.
  4. knowing your audience when communicating and always using appropriate language.
  5. keeping our schools neat and clean.
  6. solving our problems creatively by stopping, thinking, and discussing our actions.
  7. never making excuses. take your lumps and learn from past mistakes.

Class is a quality that others admire because its behavior can be counted on as natural, simple, consistent, and of the highest in all human relationships; it stands the test of time.