The docile side of competition: how competition can actually be good for us
As the sun beats down on him and his feet pound against the ground, sophomore Jared Dilibero sees two people coming up from behind. They are also drenched in sweat and wearing Aragon track uniforms. Even though they are his teammates and not his opponents, Dilibero’s competitive drive kicks in and he sprints to the finish line. The friendly competition between him and his friends gives him the extra strength needed to excel during the race.
“Honestly, there is always competition between us, but it is all very friendly. There are only so many spots on Varsity and so that is the main competition. But it would never effect any friendships. We are all good sports,” says Dilibero. Most sports are very competitive not only against other schools, but on a personal level with teammates as well.
Sophomore Daniel Gorn, who is on Aragon’s water polo team and Speech Team, says, “When [my teammates and I] compete against each other in water polo, it increases our ability at an exponential rate because we each try to be better than the other.” So competing against friends is not always a bad thing.
Sophomore Skylar Assaf has experienced this trend in another setting. Since middle school, Assaf has auditioned for theatrical productions with her best friend sophomore Laynie Mitchell. “[Laynie] always helps me with bringing as much emotion as possible into monologues and songs. For every audition we practice with one another beforehand so that we would bring out the best in each other,” says Assaf.
However, things do not always work out the way they might have wanted. Mitchell and Assaf both auditioned for Aragon’s fall musical Curtains, but Mitchell got in and Assaf did not. “The fact that I didn’t make it did not affect our friendship at all. I will be rooting [for] her on this fall in the show,” says Assaf.
Friendly competition is not only found between friends but also between siblings. Sophomore twins Brittany and Amy Pisoni say that there is definitely friendly competition between each other. “The competition we have a lot is about school work,” says Brittany Pisoni. “For example, when we have to read a book, I always try to finish before [Amy] does because it annoys her. I like it, because she has always been better in school than me.”
“I think these little competitions help [Brittany and I] become better in what we do. It gives us something to work towards,” says Amy Pisoni.
Gorn would agree. “For example, when I am playing against a teammate, I work extra hard because I don’t want to be outplayed by my fellow teammate. Then, they work extra hard because they can’t be outplayed by me, and the cycle feeds itself. It is even more so in speech team. The only way to get better at debate is to debate people.”
“People should not look at competition against friends negatively,” says Assaf. “Your friends are great resources to help you improve and push you to work harder. Utilize that as much as possible.” As long as competitions are maintained at a healthy and safe level, students should make the most out of them.
