Win, Lose, or Draw: How to be a Good Competitor

National’s season is right around the corner and all eyes are on the prize. With the big wins often come with many losses. In the sport of cheerleading, we know anything can happen on any given day and a big part of being a good athlete means having strong sportsmanship. Being a good competitor not only is morally right but is also extremely beneficial to becoming the best athlete you can possibly be.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in how to be the best over and over again. This often leads to a plateau in athletic performance. In order to become better, sometimes you need to lose to motivate yourself enough to reach that next level of greatness. A big loss can be motivating if you let it be. A key component of being a good competitor involves learning from your losses. A competition evaluates and scores who is the best on that given day or weekend, so you can do one of two things. Either give up and abandon your goals or work harder. It may seem harsh, but ask yourself, how bad do you want it? How can you work harder? How can you do better next time? How can you help your teammates be their best?

The same goes for winning. After a big win be sure to soak in every second of the glory, but then it is time to get back to work. A great athlete doesn’t stop after a big win. You want to crave that feeling of being on top of the world. Push yourself to work harder so you can win bigger. Motivate yourself so you never lose.

Depending on how you choose to look at it, losing can be the best coaching advice. It builds strength, motivates, drives you to be better, and helps you set bigger goals. Losing makes you learn how to respect your competitors and winning helps you feel respected. So win, lose, or draw, work hard, dream big, and best of luck at your end-of-season event.