How to always winđź’«

I’m Zhenya, an amateur athlete and co-founder of la la sports. I would like to share my experience with competitions and how it helped me to develop useful skills for everyday life.
My first competition took place when I was 27. That day was both amazing and terrifying. I wanted to win, I was afraid to fail, I did so much overthinking and felt so fluttery within that I totally forgot to have fun!
Over the following years I learnt three important things.
First, in order to control your level of stress, you need to create your own routines: little rituals that help you to get back to the present moment. This could be a method of wrapping your towel, or your own system of warming up, or just a bracelet on your arm that reminds you that life is beautiful no matter what is happening during this contest.
Second, follow the golden rule of trinity: nutrition, hydration, and meditation. It’s very important to eat energetic (but not heavy) food, drink a lot (and then a little bit more) water, and take time for a quick meditation: even a minute will do.
Third, recognize your support. It sounds obvious, but when you have someone on your side, it changes everything. Luckily, at amateur competitions, everyone is your best and most supportive friend. I understood this from the very beginning when during warm up, my very competitor started helping me fix a mistake with my dive.
Since then I’ve done a couple dozen competitions, and lost at least half of them, but I began to realize the impact this experience has on my everyday life: taking exams, interviewing for jobs, giving presentations —
if I’m not afraid to fail, if I stay present and take pleasure in the process itself, I will always win — if not a medal, then some great experience.
I became more confident no matter the outcome and started to enjoy every moment of it.
My most recent “contest” was a Selection Day at leAD Sports Accelerator: 9 hours of meetings with potential investors seemed like a severe mental and physical test. In a conversation the day before, I accidentally called it “a competition”, and realized that it was actually correct. Since every exam, pitch, or interview is some kind of a contest, then all the sports techniques could be applied.
All in all, I invite everyone to participate in sports events. Luckily, there are so many tournaments for every type of sport! This experience is a glorious thing to add to your lifestyle. It quickly and easily improves skills that are very useful in all spheres of life. Besides, amateur competition is a place free of any rivalry, scandal, corruption, or doping, but full of self-improvement, the spirit of camaraderie, and a world-wide unity.

Diving

There are almost a hundred amateur championships for diving every year in every part of the world.
The biggest championship in 2018 was held in Rijeka, Croatia from the 20th until the 25th of August, in a lovely outdoor pool located on the shore of the Kvarner Gulf, in the Adriatic Sea. This full-week contest was organized by an independent group of amateur athletes and gathered more divers than the Olympics in Rio. This is an annual event, so you could start practicing diving now to be ready for next year. Divers of all levels and ages are welcome to participate.
Skateboarding

The Suck My Tracks contest is an international female skate competition that took place for the 7th time on the 25th of August, in Mellowpark, Berlin. This event supports girls who ride, and any female can join — you, your daughter, or your mom. This year the contest started with a tour around Berlin’s best skateboarding streets and parks. A special exhibition exploring the history of women’s skateboard riders was also very inspiring!
World Championships

If you fancy an official title, you could always join one of the masters competitions held by international sports organizations for a wide range of sports — from track and field athletics, archery, and synchronized swimming to ultimate frisbee, water polo, and orienteering.
Again — anyone who feels like it can join and compete.

«The more I practice, the luckier I get», — Jerry Barber
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