Congrats anyway on the success you DID have!!!

Competition is a funny thing.......any competition. There is a lot to be learned about ourselves in the process. Someone much brighter than I am once said that, "No one is completely happy with the success of a friend," and it rings sorrowfully true.

We try to teach our kids to be gracious winners and good losers but the very nature of any competitive endeavor makes the concepts null and void. It's easier to see in sports or business I suppose, but instrument contests are no different. Rich had a friend who remembered Frank winning, but can anyone tell me who came in second or third? Probably not. In competitive things, I have tried to show goodwill toward others when I've won, but I probably could have done better. When I've lost............well, I just ain't a good loser to be truthful. We're talking here about things I would or have competed in, and any kind of pickin' contest wouldn't be one of them! Most of the Bluegrass contests seem pretty filled with "competitive types" and they may be just fine sitting around and talking, really enjoyable, even fun to play with..........but throw in the "competition" and there's a personality change.

I used to love working with other people on their skills racing both sailboats and cars. I had lots of good times sharing stories and such, but on race days............forget it. I was capable of damn near anything, even to people who were friends! I'd be mad at myself for every mistake and was always looking for any edge. My sailing partner of many years was a like minded guy and we managed to be fairly successful. We learned to channel the anger at ourselves and all of that and focus intently on what was happening. Each of us can recall instances after a regatta when we felt bad over something we had done on the course, but it didn't stop us the next time. Even with that, we were pretty well liked and known as practical jokers,etc.........but... "Watch 'em on the water."

Competition brings out the best in us at times, but there is a flip side because it also brings out the worst. Rick says "you know you're good if you're good" and while that is true, there is also (in some of us) the need, often a burning need, to prove it.

Anyway......Happy for Frank!!! Congrats to you all too for trying (I hate judged events though....human factor doesn't keep the field level too often).

Spaw