Williams encourages students to compete

September 28, 2011

Roy Williams confessed, he is a compulsive competitor. 

Williams, the men's basketball coach at the University of North Carolina, admitted his compulsion as the speaker of the Coaches 4 Character program held Tuesday night at Redemption World Outreach Center. 

Williams qualified his confession as he addressed a crowd of about 800 students. He contended that "life is competition" and should be approached with enthusiasm. 

"Do something to help yourself everyday," he said. "Be led by your dreams, not pushed by your problems." 

​Williams' decree was illustrated by two Greer High School students who were recognized  for their perseverant competitive spirits. Stephanie Torres and Trey Brown were both presented The Greenville News Character Award. 

Greer High guidance counselor Tarah Boulware shared accounts of the personal hardships the two honor students have overcome. 

Brown pressed on after the sudden death of his mother and helped support his grandmother through a bout with cancer. 

Torres once struggled through a language barrier. Now, she is enrolled in some of the most difficult courses offered at Greer. 

​Boulware said both students have inspired their peers, as well as the Greer faculty. 

"They are just really good kids," Boulware said. "A lot of people may not know their circumstances. It's not something they use as a crutch. If you didn't already know their background, then you wouldn't know it. They're just really good people and really good students."

Torres and Brown's series of resilience and determination paralleled Williams' message of constant competition, diligent preparation, tireless effort, and bold dreams. 

"I experienced some of the same problems that kids are going through today and some of the same good things," said Williams, who also confessed that he just celebrated his 61st birthday. "It's so mych harder than when I was in school. We had some bad choices that we could have made but not nearly as many as youngsters are exposed to today. 

"I'm asking young people to listen to themselves and make the right decision. That's the biggest thing we have going, that you can make the right decisions because you want to make the right decision."

By; Mandrallius Robinson -- Greenville News