My Experience in Competitive Sports
If you know me, you know I’m always looking to go outside and be active; usually, that involves a sport with a ball. Growing up, I played football, basketball, and travel baseball. Though eventually, I traded in baseball for lacrosse in the 8th grade. I ended up enjoying lacrosse so much that it led to four years of high school and college play. I even received an Academic All-American honor in my senior year of high school. Then, as a part of the club team at Santa Clara University, we made it to the national tournament for the first time in SCU history. Sadly, we lost in the first round to the eventual champions.
Post-college lacrosse, I started playing beach volleyball. Unlike the other big-team sports I played, I found myself playing with just one other teammate, but this change in pace excited me; it feels like I have more influence over the game’s outcome. I sometimes wonder if I would’ve been good at individual sports like tennis or squash for similar reasons. When I first started playing volleyball, I was playing with friends mostly just for fun, but eventually, I realized that I wanted to play more competitively. I discovered that I enjoyed playing the most when everyone on the court had a desire to win, even if it was just a match with friends. However, I acknowledged that not everyone had that same drive, so I started signing up for local tournaments where I could find others with a similar motivation; it’s been really fun. And it’s not that I didn’t enjoy playing before, but I had come to the realization that I am more competitive than I thought.
The Thrill of Competition
I initially wasn’t really aware of it, but I thrive on competition, especially when it pushes me to my limits. My most vivid memories of sports have been the games that were decided by one or two points, whether my team won or lost. Sure, I remember some of the goals I’ve scored, but when I think about the sports that I’ve played, what defines the moments I remember best is the excitement I felt in those close games. Playing against better opponents is where I discovered the need to improve because if I made a mistake, those stronger opponents would take advantage of it. You also have to capitalize on your opponent’s mistakes because they won’t make as many if they are good. What excites me the most in these competitive matches is the awareness that these are the games where I have the opportunity to improve the most. Even now whenever I encounter a tough opponent, I have the desire to keep on playing so that I can continue to sharpen my skills.
Being Competitive Outside of Sports
As I write this, I’ve realized that my competitiveness extends into other areas of my life, particularly when it comes to learning. Though, it doesn’t show up quite the same way since not everything in life is directly comparable to sports. Working at a large tech company, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by really intelligent people from whom I constantly learn new things. Here, it’s less about my team versus another and more about a sense of “inner competitiveness,” where I find motivation to learn more about mechanical engineering (or whatever topic I am interested in) by working and surrounding myself with brilliant people. It’s not really a competition, but I think being around smart people is similar to playing against strong players in sports. By being around people who know more than me, I naturally learn more myself. Having reflected on this, my takeaway is to apply this to other interests too. I definitely want to pick up more hobbies in the future, and I’ve come to recognize that
the best way to learn is to spend time with people who are more experienced in those fields. Thinking back to when I was into building surfboards, I unintentionally did this when I reached out to a surfboard factory to work for them. It didn’t last long since I ended up getting a full-time job shortly after, but, even in that short period of time, that’s where I learned the bulk of my surfboard building skills.. This makes sense; working with people who have spent years honing their skills can definitely speed up the learning process for others who are just getting started. And although this doesn’t really qualify as a hobby, one thing I’m working on learning is how to speak Japanese. And having written this out, I recognize that if I’m serious about learning it, I need to try to surround myself with more Japanese speakers.
Reflecting on Competitiveness
I’ve often wondered how I became such a competitive person, and honestly, I’m still not 100% sure why. I think a large part of it definitely comes from my background in sports, but I also know other people who grew up playing sports who aren’t very competitive. Maybe it’s because I really enjoy getting better at things since I know that I improve quickest against tough competition. After researching more, I’ve determined that there are multiple factors that influence how competitive someone is, including personal experiences, psychological characteristics, social influences, and even genetics. In my experience, being competitive has had a positive outcome, and it’s what motivates me to be better.
As I was writing this, I got more curious on the topic and came across “The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance” by W. Timothy Gallwey. I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while as it’s been mentioned in some of the podcasts I’ve listened to, and now that I’ve shared my current perspective on being competitive, maybe I’ll have a new outlook after I read this book. Keep an eye out for that in a future edition!
Thanks for your support and for reading my newsletter. I’d love to hear other people’s perspectives on competitiveness in sports or other aspects of life. Feel free to reply directly to this email, or if you prefer to respond anonymously, you can send feedback via this form (https://forms.gle/hCSjmeJa2x67iQBt5) . Feel free to provide any feedback and/or suggestions for future letters as well!