[Griff]

Spot on Gunmaster.
My older daughter is very competitive but always with a sense of fair-play. As an artist as well as a fencer, she sees the beauty in the action and appreciates the intellectual exercise. A while back she got beaten in a pretty intense bout and I made sure she congratulated the girl again after she cooled off. There are formalities in fencing that are observed to assist in keeping the passion confined to the strip. I had a bout go to la belle a couple months ago and I saluted my opponent as is expected. He failed to return the salute. After the bout another fencer approached me saying he was glad to see me win after my opponent failed to observe a nicety that helps people focus on respect for their opponents.

My younger daughter is less competitive but occasional successes on the field hockey pitch have helped her self confidence immensely. She is doing very well in school and is actually practicing her drums because she's learned that results follow effort.

I've seen some really bad stuff as well, but if you focus on having fun, getting exercise, and developing character, I think competition is healthy.