In my upcoming book, Diamond Hitchhiker, the main character’s primary trait is a Competitor. She hates to lose much more than she likes to win, but beyond that I’ve listed some free-hand thoughts on what it is to be a competitor, these thoughts making up the main character’s personality. While I plan to blog other competitive traits, feel free to provide your thoughts on what competition means to you.
Competition is…
Game Day. Who performs the best on a given day. It’s your chance to prove you or your team (or your horse even) were better on that day. Game day is the essence of competition. It’s excitement, atmosphere, proving grounds, being in the moment and doing whatever is in your ability to achieve.
Its own universe. Some are comfortable there, some are not. Some just aren’t good enough and that’s OK. Cuts are healthy. While everyone should be given an open opportunity to compete, all humans are not created equal when it comes to ability, skill or desire in any one particular area. Cuts should not happen at an early age, neither should specialization. Introduction to the competitive universe should happen at about 14 years of age, up until that age, it should be about playing lots of different sports, teaching sportsmanship and technical training (how to play the game).
Humbling. You can be beaten on any given day and a competitor knows it’s not where you’ve been it’s where you’re going. If you’re admiring your success in the middle of a season or competition, you’re destined for a sad end.
Individual accomplishment and team success. Team sports is a hugely valuable experience. Almost every life scenario presents itself including, ironically, a time when it’s required for an individual to be selfish for the good of the team. ANYONE on ANY GIVEN DAY can help a team win.
What does competition mean to you? Competition is… Include a word or phrase and then a paragraph describing how that word or phrase fits into Competition.
City of Tyre 