WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and RadioStars Arrive for Sixth Annual Character of Champions

Stars Arrive for Sixth Annual Character of Champions

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QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) -- It's not everyday you get a chance to hear from two former Oympic athletes, but that's exactly what a couple hundred high school students got to experience Tuesday morning at QU's Pepsi Arena.

It was all part of the sixth annual Character of Champions seminar to help student-athletes enhance their understanding of sportsmanship.

The keynote speakers included former Olympian and QND volleyball coach Caren Kemner as well as two-time Olympic Greco Roman wrestler and current Wheaton College head coach Jim Gruenwald.

The main message from Gruenwald's standpoint was to aim high and to continue to better yourself as a person.

"I mentioned today's the day to wipe the slate clean. Regardless of what we've done in the past we now have the opportunity to make the right choices right now," he told WGEM Sports. 

"I think every one of these speakers has given these young men and these young women the tools they need to, not that their coaches haven't been doing it, but we reinforced or even gave them some new tools for them to go out and have positive characteristics and practice good sportsmanship."

For the sixth consecutive year WGEM Sports Director Ben Marth had the distinct pleasure of emceeing the event.

As an added bonus, Quincy University handed out five hundred scholarships to five local students.