Glory Chasers

By Billy Kennedy

Many articles have been written about how taking part in a sport is the most important thing and how having fun should be the primary objective, which I don’t really understand; I therefore target those people who have more than the average competitive streak.

Before continuing, I must confess I am one of those people. Whether it is a quiet game of squash with a friend or a volleyball comp game the Jekyll and Hyde transformation is complete the moment we step foot on court. The quiet, shy laidback person in the changing room, gathering their thoughts suddenly becomes the loud, frantic maniac the moment that whistle blows. As an ex-soccer goalkeeper, I speak from experience.

How does one handle this person, or rather should we be handling this person at all? I say no. No matter where you go in life you will come across this competitor at some stage. Rather than asking how we handle them, let’s get into why it’s not such a bad thing to have someone like this in your team.

A good mix of those wanting to have fun and the ultimate competitor can be a healthy one. The competitive streak is part of a personality that should not, and more importantly, cannot be changed. So understanding them could make your life on the pitch, court or arena a little more pleasant.

The competitive person lives for the adrenaline rush that comes with a win. Win, win, win. It’s what we do. And whilst we may seem so intent on winning that we are not having fun that’s not necessarily what’s going on in our heads. The thrill of snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat, or qualifying for the next round and even winning that elusive medal is what keeps us going for a long time. It’s like the drug that takes away the pain. And then when the pain returns we must seek out that next win.

So when you are next on the court, pitch or any sporting arena and you see us, don’t be afraid, we are what we are and we do what we do because we love the rush of the drama that we create within ourselves.

We hurt no-one except our own pride when we set ourselves high expectations that we don’t reach. We blame no one but ourselves for our self-appointed failure, but we celebrate with the team when we reach those dizzy heights.

info: Competitive fanatics or social sports people are able to be embraced in one of the many of Team Sydney’s member clubs. Take the step by finding out just how many sports we embrace: www.teamsydney.org.au

Billy Kennedy is the Treasurer of Freezone Volleyball Club and self-confessed sports addict.