UTB-TSC: Wagstaff receives RRAC Champions of Character award
University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College junior women’s soccer player Helen Wagstaff has been named the recipient of the Red River Athletic Conference 2011 NAIA Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award.
Wagstaff is the lone recipient from the RRAC, which had more than 1,500 student-athletes in its 13-member institutions during the 2010-11 academic year.
"What a great recognition for Waggi and the team," Scorpions coach Nik Barjaktarevic said. "She is a true Champion of Character and very deserving of this prestigious award. Waggi sets a great example of how important it is to do the right thing with her presence on and off the field, when pressure is on, but maybe more importantly when no one is watching."
Some the achievements Wagstaff include:
2009: Soccer Clinic for RGV Soccer Club: volunteer; Good Neighbor Settlement House Community Center: worked in kitchen, painted interior; Maggie and Monica’s House Benefit: celebrity dinner waiter;
2009, 2010: Brownsville PAWS pet adoption drive at PetSMART: volunteer activity with teammates; Student Housing Moving Day: assisted students to move into campus housing; Scorpion Summer Soccer Camps: volunteer coach; Soccer for a Cure Tournament: marketing assistance; Soccer ambassador: hosted and housed recruits.
2010: Girl Scouts Camp Soccer Day: coordinated soccer activities for Girl Scouts; Charro Days Parade: Assisted in float decoration, rode in parade with teammates; UTB-TSC Women’s Leadership Conference: volunteer; Students with disabilities visit to campus: coordinated tour of facilities and team activities; South Padre Island Beach Clean-Up: coordinated team volunteer campaign; South Padre Island Sea Turtle Inc. Rescue: volunteer activity with teammates; Putegnat Elementary School National Library Week: reading to children with teammates; Victoria Heights Elementary Awards Day: distributed awards with teammates
Wagstaff was also named to the Scorpion Athletics Honor Roll in 2009 and 2010 and has received the Scorpion Award, based on Champions of Character, in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
The NAIA Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award was created as part of the NAIA’s association with Citizenship Through Sports Alliance. Dylan Smith, a student-athlete from Concordia (Ore.) University, has been named the 2010 national recipient of the award, which is named after Dr. Walker, president emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee who served as president through the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.
The award, considered one of the most prestigious honors in the NAIA, recognizes a student-athlete who excels in athletics and academics and is committed to the Champions of Character program’s five core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
The NAIA initiative is designed to instill an understanding of character values in sport and provide student-athletes, coaches and parents the training to help them know and do the right things, inside and outside the sports setting. Champions of Character is dedicated to the principle that character is a choice and that being a champion is about reaching your potential and making good decisions consistently in daily life.
From Scorpions women’s soccer coach Nik Barjaktarevic:
"We are so excited to have Helen on our team, and I know everyone else shares this excitement with having her as a teammate, tutor, friend, classmate, employee, or coach here on campus and in the Brownsville community. For the past three years, her leadership has impacted our team greatly.
It was such a positive influence to have someone like Helen to lead by example and to really pave the way for our young program (established in 2007) what are the right things and how to do these "right" things all the time no matter the occasion. She has been a part of our team as a captain since her freshman year. When I think of what a player on our team needs to represent, she is in the group that stands out positively.
Her involvement with the team has led us where we are today - with our women’s soccer team, and not only for her achievements on the soccer field, but especially with her involvement with campus and the community. She is also the recipient of the 2009 Champions of Character Award for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
She is also a big part of the reason why has our team was chosen for the 2010 NAIA Buffalo Fund Champions of Character Award recipient for women’s soccer, and an integral part of our championship team. What I believe is even more important than any award, is her growth as a person, someone that truly believes in and lives the five core values of the Champions of Character program."
From teammate Emily Husband:
"Waggi has never really got the acknowledgement she deserves, for the amount of work she does. She gives nothing less than 100% not only in soccer games and practices but also in school, work and to the community.
You only need to mention her name around campus to find this out. As the leader of our team, everyone looks to her for guidance. This is a hard reputation to hold when put in tough situations but she has yet to fail us.
Integrity is not a onetime occurrence for Waggi; I could never pick out one example of her leadership qualities because it’s an attribute that she holds day in day out. Whether it is soccer related or not, she helps the team out with individual tasks, giving us the best advice she has and is constantly looking out for each and every one of us.
Waggi is always willing to give her time for us, whether it’s to stay longer after practice and help work on soccer skills, to proofread an essay or simply just be there for moral support with anything. People don’t always see Waggi’s hard work because it is there every day; she leads by example, when practice ends for the team you know it is continuing for Waggi because she wants to better herself, replaying whatever it is she has learned in her head until she understands it.
She is a genuinely honest person, which is another great attribute to her. If you need advice on or off the soccer field, you know you’re getting an honest opinion from Waggi. Each one of us brings a different quality to the team but Waggi brings so much more."
From Helen Wagstaff:
"As a junior and a captain, I try to lead by example. I keep an open door for my teammates, and I always look for new ways of developing my relationships with the girls and the relationships of the entire team. I am honest, trustworthy, and have gained experiences that I am always willing to share.
These four years at UTB/TSC are not about doing what I am told. They are not about doing what is expected of me. These four years are much more than that. They are the realization of a childhood dream; the beginning of the rest of my life. They are an extension and projection of who I am. I train, play, and sacrifice, every day because I believe in myself. I believe in this team, this program, this school, and this community. My belief drives me to give my all because anything less than that is not acceptable.
I want to win. I am an athlete and just as competitive as the next, but I want to win in the right way for the right reasons and feel that victory in my heart. A victory on paper is very different to a victory in heart, and the two are worlds apart. Integrity means that even when no other person is there to see it, the choice between easy and right will always be right. Responsibility makes sure that everything I do is for the good of this team. I find that two-way street of respect occurs naturally.
It is an honor to be nominated for this award. Whether I am helping one of my teammates study, or helping someone up after a tackle, it’s more than just a job. This is not just what I do. This is who I am."
Champions of Character Core Values
Integrity: Positive internal traits that guide behavior
Respect: Treating others the way you want to be treated
Responsibility: The social force that binds the individual to the good of the team
Sportsmanship: Following the rules, spirit and etiquette of athletic competition
Servant Leadership: Serving the greater good
