Blog 1- This I Believe… by Vanessa Altner
I believe… in integrity.
Growing up a gymnast I learned integrity and discipline younger than most people my age. My coach was an elite gymnast that was on the United States of America National team and was a college gymnast at the University of Georgia. She also was in the Army and was on a women’s football league so in so many words, she was pretty strict. Every day me and my teammates walked into our gym we were expected to do what she asked us to do and stay true to that. In gymnastics you are told the only way to be good at your sport is to practice long hard hours until your eventually perfect, but that is not what my coach asked of us. Are coach wanted us to be true to ourselves and learn to be a hard worker on the mat and throughout life. My teammates and I could get up on the balance beam and do a skill 50 times and fall flat on our faces, and it was fine. But the moment you got up on the beam and froze still in fear, anxiety, or disgust that was when she would be furious. To her the fact that we were trying our hardest and strive to try new skills was what she wanted from us. She wanted to watch us grow with strength and confidence, not winning and pouting. To her integrity showed her that she didn’t always have to be physically there to know that we were trying our hardest at what we were trying to accomplish. My coach being so persistent on how important integrity was really made me hold that word at a higher standard. To me it really reflects on a person’s reputation and it is one of the most important qualities to have. It really holds a person accountable for their actions. Integrity just shows off how genuine, loyal, and hard working a person can truly be. I honestly think it’s one of the best qualities to be called because the value to the word means so much. I learned this lesson young but it will not end there. I will use integrity throughout my entire life not only in gymnastics. Integrity is extremely important quality to have through school, the work place, home life, and anything else you can imagine. At the end of the day being honest and holsome is sometimes what gets people through their day.