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Integrity
Some time ago, an article in National Racquetball Magazine told the story of Reuben Gonzales, who was in the final match of a professional racquetball tournament. It was Gonzales' first shot at a victory on the pro circuit,
and he was playing the perennial champion. In the
fourth and final game, at match point,
Gonzales made a super "kill" shot into the front wall to win it all.
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referee called it good. One of the two linesmen affirmed that the shot was in. But Gonzales, after a moment's hesitation, turned around, shook his
opponent's hand,
and declared that his shot had "slapped" into the wall, hitting the court
floor first. As a result, he lost the match. He walked off the court. Everybody was
stunned.
The next
issue of National Racquetball Magazine displayed Reuben Gonzales on its front cover. The story searched for an explanation of this first-ever occurrence on the professional racquetball circuit. Who
could ever imagine it in any sport endeavor? A
player, with everything officially in his favor, with victory in his hand,
disqualified himself at match point and lost! When
asked why he did it, Reuben replied,
"It was the only thing I could do to maintain my integrity."
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