(no subject)
Since lj is still not letting me post a reply on anyone’s journal but my own, here are my own 2 cents worth in response to chudweiser's sports and competition post. I meant to post this yesterday but wasn't able to so I know people have already said a lot of this shit already...
I am not a naturally athletic person. I was the child of two musicians and so I didn’t play sports when I was young. More to the point, they were never really into competition. I did over the years slowly and selectively start playing some sports, meaning I think that I inhabit something of a middle ground between people like, say, chudweiser or rubedawg, and those not into sports. I’m sympathetic to the idea that sports need to be made fun for kids and that adults can be a bit retarded, especially if they’re living vicariously through their children. But things have been taken far too far. Competition is a part of sports and there is nothing wrong with it. Or wanting to win. It’s something to strive for, something to motivate yourself.
I get competitive now when I play sports and it’s in large part because of playing sports with people who were “just out to have fun.”One of the lessons I learned early on playing squash was that it doesn’t matter your skill level, if you still push yourself and give it your all its amazing how far that alone can take you. When I was first starting out and playing at the 1.5 and 2.0 levels, what I quickly discovered is that a whole bunch of those beginners who if they felt they didn’t have a chance to get the ball because it was a tricky shot or had gone to the other court, would simply stand there and let it drop. Some would end up saying “I didn’t have a chance to get it, so I figured why bother?” Now that, to me, makes absolutely no sense. If I show up to play a sport, be it squash or anything else, I’m doing it because I legitly want to play the game which means pushing myself even if the other player is gonna cream me. Just standing there would seem to defeat the whole purpose of showing up. And I always felt like those people were wasting my time because they didn’t even bother to try. If I bungled a shot or didn’t get to the ball in time, sure it sucked. But it felt better than doing nothing. Same as it felt good playing an opponent who did the same, regardless of the outcome.
My other major experience with a lot of “fun” players is in intramural volleyball over the last few years. As some of you may know, I played volleyball from grades 3 to 8. In other words, a long, long time ago. But when I came to university, I decided to give it a shot again in a relatively non-pressure environment. And you know what? I sucked. Hard. It was frustrating as all hell because I knew what I should have been doing but messed up a lot. But it wasn’t nearly as frustrating as playing on residence teams that were mixed between those of us out to win games and those who signed up “just to have a good time.” This was always an issue, particularly (I hate to say it) on the co-ed teams. Invariably there would be a couple girls who signed up and came out, and if the ball came to them simply screamed and either a) did nothing or b) moved away from the ball and then giggled uncontrollably with her friend(s) about how funny it was that the ball came to her but she did nothing. The other team, if they were any good, would capitalize on this and simply always send it their direction, thereby meaning that the rest of us didn’t get to play as much AND we’d lose the game. Now it’s not that these people didn’t play well that rankled me - there would also be other people on the team who weren’t spectacular either (myself included). It was that they didn't even try and then when people got annoyed, they'd pull out the fun defense.
The trick is not to swing totally the other way either. Bad losers and, hell, bad winners are just as annoying. I have no time for posturing, and idiots who are going to argue rules forever or throw their racquet after losing a point or whatever…all that shit. That’s just stupid (though I’ve been known to be an idiot myself once and a while, I admit). But it’s easier to tolerate or write that off than the opposite. And removing the competitive aspect isn’t going to stop people from acting like idiots…they always find a way. Jay Mohr is right in that competition is important - learning how to win and lose is one of the more valuable things you can learn from sports. There’s no point sheltering kids from losing since that simply means it’s more of a shock when the same kind of thing happens in other parts of their lives. It’s as stupid as parents trying to everything in their power to “protect” kids from getting minor cuts and scrapes…not only do you learn how to deal with shit through things like that, but it also puts things into perspective when something significant actually happens. Besides, at the end of the day, without competition are kids going to really push themselves? You only learn your limits through pushing those boundaries…and you also learn how pliable those limits are when you discover that you’re able to push yourself past them.
I’m currently playing on a co-ed intramural volleyball team. It’s been one of the most refreshing and enjoyable sports teams I’ve ever gotten the chance to play on. Why? Because they’re competitive AND have fun. Most of the guys couldn’t take things seriously if they were paid to, so they don’t flip out if we lose or if they bungle a shot. They do, however, act like complete tards if someone does something right and more than occasionally screw around on court. We spend half of almost every game laughing our asses off. BUT, they’re also competitive. They like to win and that’s their aim when they’re on court. They’ll have a good time no matter what, but it’s made even better if the team wins the game.
Competition sure ain’t gonna kill you but it might just help you learn a few things.
I am not a naturally athletic person. I was the child of two musicians and so I didn’t play sports when I was young. More to the point, they were never really into competition. I did over the years slowly and selectively start playing some sports, meaning I think that I inhabit something of a middle ground between people like, say, chudweiser or rubedawg, and those not into sports. I’m sympathetic to the idea that sports need to be made fun for kids and that adults can be a bit retarded, especially if they’re living vicariously through their children. But things have been taken far too far. Competition is a part of sports and there is nothing wrong with it. Or wanting to win. It’s something to strive for, something to motivate yourself.
I get competitive now when I play sports and it’s in large part because of playing sports with people who were “just out to have fun.”One of the lessons I learned early on playing squash was that it doesn’t matter your skill level, if you still push yourself and give it your all its amazing how far that alone can take you. When I was first starting out and playing at the 1.5 and 2.0 levels, what I quickly discovered is that a whole bunch of those beginners who if they felt they didn’t have a chance to get the ball because it was a tricky shot or had gone to the other court, would simply stand there and let it drop. Some would end up saying “I didn’t have a chance to get it, so I figured why bother?” Now that, to me, makes absolutely no sense. If I show up to play a sport, be it squash or anything else, I’m doing it because I legitly want to play the game which means pushing myself even if the other player is gonna cream me. Just standing there would seem to defeat the whole purpose of showing up. And I always felt like those people were wasting my time because they didn’t even bother to try. If I bungled a shot or didn’t get to the ball in time, sure it sucked. But it felt better than doing nothing. Same as it felt good playing an opponent who did the same, regardless of the outcome.
My other major experience with a lot of “fun” players is in intramural volleyball over the last few years. As some of you may know, I played volleyball from grades 3 to 8. In other words, a long, long time ago. But when I came to university, I decided to give it a shot again in a relatively non-pressure environment. And you know what? I sucked. Hard. It was frustrating as all hell because I knew what I should have been doing but messed up a lot. But it wasn’t nearly as frustrating as playing on residence teams that were mixed between those of us out to win games and those who signed up “just to have a good time.” This was always an issue, particularly (I hate to say it) on the co-ed teams. Invariably there would be a couple girls who signed up and came out, and if the ball came to them simply screamed and either a) did nothing or b) moved away from the ball and then giggled uncontrollably with her friend(s) about how funny it was that the ball came to her but she did nothing. The other team, if they were any good, would capitalize on this and simply always send it their direction, thereby meaning that the rest of us didn’t get to play as much AND we’d lose the game. Now it’s not that these people didn’t play well that rankled me - there would also be other people on the team who weren’t spectacular either (myself included). It was that they didn't even try and then when people got annoyed, they'd pull out the fun defense.
The trick is not to swing totally the other way either. Bad losers and, hell, bad winners are just as annoying. I have no time for posturing, and idiots who are going to argue rules forever or throw their racquet after losing a point or whatever…all that shit. That’s just stupid (though I’ve been known to be an idiot myself once and a while, I admit). But it’s easier to tolerate or write that off than the opposite. And removing the competitive aspect isn’t going to stop people from acting like idiots…they always find a way. Jay Mohr is right in that competition is important - learning how to win and lose is one of the more valuable things you can learn from sports. There’s no point sheltering kids from losing since that simply means it’s more of a shock when the same kind of thing happens in other parts of their lives. It’s as stupid as parents trying to everything in their power to “protect” kids from getting minor cuts and scrapes…not only do you learn how to deal with shit through things like that, but it also puts things into perspective when something significant actually happens. Besides, at the end of the day, without competition are kids going to really push themselves? You only learn your limits through pushing those boundaries…and you also learn how pliable those limits are when you discover that you’re able to push yourself past them.
I’m currently playing on a co-ed intramural volleyball team. It’s been one of the most refreshing and enjoyable sports teams I’ve ever gotten the chance to play on. Why? Because they’re competitive AND have fun. Most of the guys couldn’t take things seriously if they were paid to, so they don’t flip out if we lose or if they bungle a shot. They do, however, act like complete tards if someone does something right and more than occasionally screw around on court. We spend half of almost every game laughing our asses off. BUT, they’re also competitive. They like to win and that’s their aim when they’re on court. They’ll have a good time no matter what, but it’s made even better if the team wins the game.
Competition sure ain’t gonna kill you but it might just help you learn a few things.