By Paul Truong
The Important SPICE standards!
Many people over the years asked me what kind of students we recruit / want at SPICE? Do we just go by ratings? The answer is rating is just one of the many factors. We look for serious, committed, disciplined, and dedicated students who are willing to work hard, willing to be trained, willing to be a team player, willing to follow team rules, etc. but most importantly, a good and respectful person.
Here is one example. I just saw this post from an incoming freshman, Josh Colas. He wrote: “I hardly ever post, but I just want to say Happy Birthday to my dad Guy Colas . You shaped me into that wonderful man I am today. Enjoy your day!”
It made my morning reading such a post. We want students who respect everyone, especially their parents, teammates, and coaches, etc.
We have rejected strong GMs in the past who have much higher ratings than Josh, including players over 2600-2700, because they do not meet these criteria. If we made a mistake and took in someone who changed for the worse and no longer meet these criteria, we would have no problem revoking their scholarships, no matter what their ratings are, as we have done in the past.
Yes, we want to win. But we will not compromise our beliefs and values to win.