Tennis is one of only a handful of sports that has sportsmanship written directly into the rules of the game. This list of ethical rules of behavior is called “The Code”. No other sport requires the competitor to give a point that he/she has won back to an opponent because the player recognized that there has been a mistake in judgment. That is the essence of true character and sportsmanship.

Hope College men's tennis coach Steve Gorno has had the good fortune to coach 11 MIAA Sportsmanship Award winners over the last 19 seasons. During that same time, he has coached dozens of other student-athletes that were equally deserving of winning this award.

"As a coach, I am tremendously proud and eternally grateful for each one of my players who has lived their lives so well to allow me to be able to say that," Gorno says.

"Our team believes in “The Code.” We believe that character and integrity are as much a part of the game as the competition itself. To help us live up to our own high expectations, we have certain guiding principles that govern how we behave, how we manage our emotions, and how we treat others -- not just while we are on the court competing, but whenever we are out in the public eye. The most important of these guiding principles is simple - Always treat others with respect. It is the foundation upon which every other guiding principle is built. We talk about these guiding principles frequently and we hold ourselves and each other accountable for not just following, but truly living out these principles in our every day lives. This includes the players holding the coach accountable to living up to the same standards of behavior. None of us are perfect. But we believe that if we work together, we can get a little closer to perfection.

"By documenting what we believe in and then holding each other accountable to live by those rules every day, we have woven character and integrity directly into the fabric of Hope College men’s tennis culture. This has been a long, arduous process similar to hand-knitting a full length quilt. We all know that one weak thread or one bad stitch can unravel all of our previous work so we are vigilant about protecting and honoring the contributions of all the players that have come before. And through targeted recruitment we make sure that every player that comes after is equally committed to finishing a great work of art that is singularly unique and something that we can all be proud of.

"I believe that the foundation of great sportsmanship is always great love; a love of others that transcends the desire for victory and compels you to always do what is right even in the face of defeat; a love for your team and your school that won’t allow you to tarnish their reputation by making even one poor ethical choice for as long as you represent them; and a love for the sport that compels you to honor “The Code” which, if followed, allows you to compete with intensity without compromising your integrity. This is how I coach. This is what I coach. And this is what defines me as a coach."