From the day I started playing sports on a competitive level, I’ve always heard the expression, “Competition makes you better.” Is this fact or fiction, and can we prove this theory? Today we’ll break down this concept and determine for ourselves if this is true.
Growing up in East Texas, our community had a summer program called “Park Recreation” that was headed up by a former high school coach by the name of Sam Parker. The concept of this half day program for ages 8 through 12 was designed to create competition through different types of physical games like tug of war, piggyback fights, and capture the flag. Then halfway through the morning after a short donut shop break, we would divide up and play a baseball game until noon.
This program was all about competition and instilling toughness. Yes, there were many days when guys went home with shirts half torn and a bloody lip, but the games were fun! Many times, you would have to compete with guys older than yourself, which makes you better.
This in my opinion is what made me better as an athlete…playing guys older than myself. These games brought out the competitive fire to show all your peers that you were tough and hated losing. It showed no matter who you were up against, you never gave up. It taught you how to compete!
Bass fishing, like other competitive sports, is no different. As far as I’m concerned, there are only two ways you can really get better as an angler. One is to fish and compete against guys better than yourself. Or two, spend as much time as possible on the water learning new techniques.
My philosophy has always been to learn as much as I can from every person I get in the boat with. No matter how good you think you are, there’s always room to improve. Over the years fishing with others, I’ve pick up a lot of information ranging from new techniques to organizing tips.
Obviously, you’re not always going to learn something from every single angler you fish with. But it’s important to keep an open mind to the idea of learning something new. You must leave your ego on the bank in order to become a better angler.
One thing that I have learned about the sport of bass fishing is that you never stop learning, even if you’ve been doing it for 30 years. It’s an ever-evolving sport as new technology and innovation continue to develop every year.
To answer the question, “Does competition really make us better?” The answer is a definite yes, but only if you’re willing to be open minded and are looking to get better. So, no matter the sport, competition makes us better.
Till next time, keep your hooks wet and your gun powder dry. Enjoy your time on the water and make every cast count.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
