Asha Waterstreet is the new executive director of the Kinzua Youth Development Center.

By DENNIS A. JOHNSON

The world’s elite athletes recently finished competition at the Olympic games in Paris. They came from all over the globe, attempting to go home with a gold, silver, or bronze medal or at the very least a personal best performance.

Watching the games one might ask, what is true competition? In our country many have likened it to war, where our opponent is often vilified as an enemy to be annihilated. The following is an attempt to debunk that myth and define the true meaning of competition. We at the Kinzua Youth Development Center (KYDC) are implementing a more inclusive perception of the competition concept and will provide examples which were demonstrated in those Olympic games.

The word “competition” is derived from the Latin term “competere,” meaning “to strive together.” What might youth and scholastic sport look like if coaches and parents were more inclined to view competition from a collaborative event rather than a purely adversarial one? In wrestling athletes shake hands both before and after individual matches. At the KYDC, wrestlers are encouraged to mentally ask their opponents for their best efforts prior to the match and then thank them for those efforts at the end of the match.

Without an opponent’s best efforts, how can an individual truly determine their own athletic abilities? How good Ali might have been without rivals like Frazier or Foreman or in basketball, Bird without Magic? How many medalists are thankful for the efforts of their partners in competitive events who pushed them onto the medal stand, sometimes with world or Olympic records? Consider the best efforts of Bhutan’s marathoner Kinzang Lhamo. She finished last in the marathon yet received a standing ovation from spectators at the finish line. She indicated, “I didn’t come here to start a marathon; I came to finish a marathon” …her BEST EFFORTS! In a zero-sum sport like wrestling, success should be gauged by best efforts and not simply winning or losing. Basketball coaching legend John Wooden once indicated that wins and losses will be about what they should be, and we can only control the effort given.

The KYDC also promotes respect and self-direction (setting goals and being accountable) in their teaching personal and social responsibility mission. Every athlete at the Paris games was able to set goals over several years and work daily to hold themselves accountable. Think about the respect that was demonstrated in the photo of Simon Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing to Brazil’s gold medalist Rebeca Andrade during the medal ceremony of floor exercise. Sometimes the opponent demonstrates a tactic or technique that is just “too good” to beat, it happens.

Another example of self-direction (i.e., setting goals and being accountable) was the pommel horse guy-Stephan Nedorosick whose performance earned him “Superman” status after taking off his “nerdy” glasses and winning the Bronze for his team. A Penn State graduate with a degree in electrical engineering who can solve a Rubrics Cube in 10 seconds also overcame two eye conditions: strabismus and coloboma. His story and performance have led to a slot on the upcoming Dancing with Stars television show.

Then there was gold medal sprinter Gabby Thomas demonstrating an example of helping others, KYDC’s 4th pillar of personal and social responsibility. A graduate of Harvard University with work in neurobiology and global health, she went on to the University of Texas for a master’s in public health. She has become a passionate and expert voice for access to quality health care for underserved populations while volunteering at a Texas clinic providing health care services for people without access. She works to inform the public on important public health issues, including vaccine hesitancy, mental health, and environmental justice.

The KYDC supports an all-inclusive environment consisting of a “we build up-not tear down” theme and is accepting of all boys and girls regardless of ability. Rugby player and bronze medalist, Ilona Maher has gone viral for her discussions on body positivity and overcoming the toxicity of women’s body standards. At 200 pounds she feels and demonstrates that “I can be a beast and can play this very physical, aggressive sport while also keeping my femininity while I do it.” In the KYDC quest to promote girls in wrestling, a combative sport, she certainly is a role model.

Although a bit off topic, Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec was one of my personal favorites. He has gone viral on social media for his casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal. He shoots adorned in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, and without fancy equipment. He shoots with both eyes open using a standard pair of glasses, and a somewhat impassive look on his face. I suspect he has benefited from mental skills training not unlike those presented at the KYDC (e.g., relaxation and focusing techniques). He’s been likened to a regular guy competing at the Olympics. My question is how the does the USA, a country which has the highest rate of privately-owned guns per person in the world not excel in the Olympic shooting events?

However, the Olympics weren’t without controversy. Take for example the circumstance surrounding the female Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif who was not a transgender athlete but in fact a female with XY chromosomes. Or the controversary regarding interpretations of the opening ceremonies in Paris. The reports and commentaries on social media and from some media outlets surrounding these events were perfect examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect. That is what occurs when someone overestimates their knowledge, even though they may not be particularly knowledgeable in that area. And so it goes…

In sum, the KYDC operates in a “we build up” positive youth development environment and promotes the social and personal responsibility tenets of respect, giving best efforts, being self-directed, and helping others. We are attempting to re-define competition as a collaborative rather than an adversarial endeavor.

Hopefully, youth and scholastic parents and coaches will sign on and encourage their children to simply ask their opponents for their best efforts and then thank them for those efforts when the contest is complete. Parents and coaches must be reminded that youth and scholastic sport activities are nothing more than the little finger on the life of an individual. As a sporting community, let’s all work to prepare them for a life of giving their best efforts, showing respect, being self-directed, and helping others.

Dennis A. Johnson (Ed.D) is a member of the Kinzua Youth Development Center Board of Directors and serves as secretary.