COMPETITION

by Jo Robertson


Competition is a healthy enterprise, right?

An individual learns to improve his or her skills, perform under pressure, and experience satisfaction from doing their best, whether it's as a performing artist, an athlete, or a writer.

Last winter much of the world watched the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Really, you have to admire the sheer skill and discipline that brings these competitors to this point in their careers.

Might I add the sheer perserverance? The Olympics is not the place for the faint of heart or the frail of determination. Nor is the world of writing.


Nor of competitive singing! Recently ten-year-old Corinna participated in her first public competitive performance. The venue was a wide, disconcerting area in a mall.She sang "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog, and I am not at all biased when I claim that her rendition was flawless -- perfect pitch, calm exterior, sassy charm.

She was perfect.

Everything else was not.

The microphone's sound cut out. Feedback screeched through the air. The mall's massive vaulted ceilings sucked up the volume like the last gasping breaths of a dying smoker.

Nina was the first performer of the day, and by the time the second singer's turn came, the acoustical kinks had been worked out. But alas, too late for her.

Everyone always says the three most important traits in attaining your goals are

perseverance

perseverance

perseverance.

She was the epitome of grace under pressure. She never faltered in her composure or her control. When the judges instructed her to begin again, she did so with stunning aplomb.

She was a trooper.

And she didn't cry until she reached the car to go home.

By the way, since I wrote this blog, Corinna semi-finalled in her age group, the only one to do so!

Then she went on to take third place in the finals! You can see her perform at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRHyWRhRqsI

What about you? What's been your experience with competition?

Have you ever geared up for an event, worked your heart out, and had everything possible go wrong? How did you handle it? If you're a writer, how do you handle the friendly competition of the industry?


Did you ever compete in something and win? How was that important to you? Did you lose? How did you feel?