Originally Posted by smoothmoniker (Post 712505)

I hate being beat. I hate knowing that another 5% of effort from me could have made something happen, and that I stopped short. I love to win. I love staking out high peaks and getting their first.

I think a big part of my life has been defined by that drive. I wouldn't be the same person creatively without it. I wouldn't be able to sustain a career in this industry without it.

So, yes, I will be doing what I can to pass that on to my kids. I will do what I can to teach them that most of the best things in life are hard to do, and that you have to push yourself to the limit of your capacity to make them work.

I hope they love to win. I hope they aren't content with "trying".

Originally Posted by Griff (Post 712454)

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.