Integrity/Sportsmanship
in·teg·ri·ty: noun
- the firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: synonym: honesty
In order to build a successful campaign, and to be successful in the sport over time, it is essential that you earn the respect of your teammates, competitors, race officials and supporters (financial and otherwise). There are just too many aspects of being successful for any one person to be able to do it on their own. We all need help and support from many others in a wide variety of ways, from financial assistance, to logistics such as travel, food and accommodation, to preparing our equipment, to tuning and training partners, and even to getting a break here and there on the race course.
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Earning respect comes by acting with integrity at all times. And there are many ways sailors do and don’t act with integrity. This area of CleverPig is dedicated to underscoring the importance of acting with integrity, and to sharing examples of how sailors do and don’t do it. Acting with integrity is a choice each person is capable of making, and the sailors who make that choice will experience the rewards it will bring.
“You haven’t won the race if, in winning the race, you have lost the respect of your competitors.”
— Paul Elvstrom, 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist
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 Paul Elvstrom sailing with his daughter
Trine in the 1984 Olympic Games. |
Other great quotes about integrity:
“A good reputation is the most important piece of equipment in your sailing bag”
“It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation; it takes a moment to ruin it”
“Your reputation arrives at an event long before you do; and never leaves.”
References
Here are some excellent pieces that go deeper into the issue of Integrity in the sport, and
how to be a successful competitor who people respect.
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