Clean Run - November 2016 - 32
failing and the joy of success. However,
when we spread the idea of letting go, of
just running for fun, of eliminating expectation within competition, what we're
actually yearning for is a call for balance.
Generally, this type of suggestion comes
at a time of loss, pain, and failure. It's not
inherently a bad thing; a friend is disappointed for whatever reason, so the impulse may be to lessen the pressure of the
activity in order to alleviate some of the
pain. At its core, it's a kind gesture, one
that calls on the individual to seek balance, to work her way back to the middle
ground of her mental game.
Fun Through Competition
Thus, I propose we change the story a
bit, from fun versus competition, to fun
through or alongside competition. Why
not both? By steering the story back to
focusing on the process, the journey, it's
easier to see that true enjoyment comes
from a love of the sport-the whole
sport- including the community, our
dogs, the ups, and the downs. Isolating
fun as a sole reason for participating, or
even as a sole motivator for participating, becomes limiting rather quickly.
For one thing, if one truly runs "just for
fun," competition becomes obsolete;
and if competition is obsolete, then the
game starts to unravel. Maintaining the
integrity of the game, of competition,
is a major part of keeping the sport of
dog agility not only functioning, but
growing. Moreover, when we separate
out competition and fun, we create a
manipulative story of shame that surrounds those who do enjoy competing.
What if instead we held each other with
compassion, maintaining a space for one
another to work through the difficult
times, to work through failure?
The biggest misconception of enjoying something might be that fun is
equivalent to no goals, no pressure, no
worries, and no problems. But what is
the truth of the situation? What is the
truth of living these lives, competing in
sport, and connecting with one another? Perhaps it is very simple: we must
remember that balance is a verb-a
dynamic, engaging action of processing the hard stuff and the good stuff.
Sometimes it is one sided, other times
it is all at once. Enjoying the game must
include feeling all of the emotions that
bubble up, then finding the center once
more-finding the point of balance-
before doing it all again. D
Tori Self is an avid dog lover, writer, agility coach, wannabe chef, and explorer. She started competing in agility at 12 years of age and has since earned national and
international success alongside her Border Collie, Revolution. Tori currently trains and ventures with Rev and her young Border Collie, Brave, narrating their journeys
on her blog at www.toriself.com.
32
Clean Run | November 16
http://www.toriself.com
http://www.CanineLightTherapy.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - November 2016
Table of Contents
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover1
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover2
Clean Run - November 2016 - Table of Contents
Clean Run - November 2016 - 4
Clean Run - November 2016 - 5
Clean Run - November 2016 - 6
Clean Run - November 2016 - 7
Clean Run - November 2016 - 8
Clean Run - November 2016 - 9
Clean Run - November 2016 - 10
Clean Run - November 2016 - 11
Clean Run - November 2016 - 12
Clean Run - November 2016 - 13
Clean Run - November 2016 - 14
Clean Run - November 2016 - 15
Clean Run - November 2016 - 16
Clean Run - November 2016 - 17
Clean Run - November 2016 - 18
Clean Run - November 2016 - 19
Clean Run - November 2016 - 20
Clean Run - November 2016 - 21
Clean Run - November 2016 - 22
Clean Run - November 2016 - 23
Clean Run - November 2016 - 24
Clean Run - November 2016 - 25
Clean Run - November 2016 - 26
Clean Run - November 2016 - 27
Clean Run - November 2016 - 28
Clean Run - November 2016 - 29
Clean Run - November 2016 - 30
Clean Run - November 2016 - 31
Clean Run - November 2016 - 32
Clean Run - November 2016 - 33
Clean Run - November 2016 - 34
Clean Run - November 2016 - 35
Clean Run - November 2016 - 36
Clean Run - November 2016 - 37
Clean Run - November 2016 - 38
Clean Run - November 2016 - 39
Clean Run - November 2016 - 40
Clean Run - November 2016 - 41
Clean Run - November 2016 - 42
Clean Run - November 2016 - 43
Clean Run - November 2016 - 44
Clean Run - November 2016 - 45
Clean Run - November 2016 - 46
Clean Run - November 2016 - 47
Clean Run - November 2016 - 48
Clean Run - November 2016 - 49
Clean Run - November 2016 - 50
Clean Run - November 2016 - 51
Clean Run - November 2016 - 52
Clean Run - November 2016 - 53
Clean Run - November 2016 - 54
Clean Run - November 2016 - 55
Clean Run - November 2016 - 56
Clean Run - November 2016 - 57
Clean Run - November 2016 - 58
Clean Run - November 2016 - 59
Clean Run - November 2016 - 60
Clean Run - November 2016 - 61
Clean Run - November 2016 - 62
Clean Run - November 2016 - 63
Clean Run - November 2016 - 64
Clean Run - November 2016 - 65
Clean Run - November 2016 - 66
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover3
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/0713
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/0213
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/1112
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/0212
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/1211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/1111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/1011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/0911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/cleanrun/0811
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