Clean Run - February 2016 - 8

Dog agility is a sport; a certain level of skill (dog training skill, handling skill) is required to participate, to play. In some ways
it is an odd concept, that of sport. Competitors line up, often alongside good friends, to race, to challenge, to contend-
all the while striving for best: �rst place, fastest, most points, gold medalist, winner, champion. The laws of competition
dictate, before the race even starts, that not everyone will come out on top. Yet we sign up and we take part in the chance to
win, and the risk to lose. Putting everything on the line, we enter into an agreement with our fellow players, our teammates,
our coaches, our supporters, and our dogs. That agreement is sportsmanship.

Sense of Self

Sportsmanship-The Game
By Tori Self

Striving a er the same outcomes-running in the same race-o en results in
competitor con ict. Yet, sports are also
reliable in their exibility. What might
be valuable to one competitor might not
serve another at all, and vice versa. at
doesn't sound inherently problematic,
but nding con ict in our di erences
isn't unique to dog sports; humans embrace this challenge throughout life.

Honor the Differences
Sometimes it can be hard to think di erent is a super cool thing. But, as people
with vastly di erent backgrounds, we
have varied experiences and discoveries in life-learning histories, if you
will. As a result, frequently we come to
covet di erent ideas and assign value
to di erent outcomes. e game of dog
agility plays into this tendency, o ering up many avenues of success: across
runs, across classes, and across venues.
As such, goals can be adapted to an individual's history with the sport. Moreover, working alongside an animal creates access to variables that rede ne our
personal goals on an almost constant
basis (sometimes in a direction we appreciate, and other times in a direction
we begrudge).
You might fancy a gold medal while
another competitor might have just as
much fervor for her rst double Q. Your
8

dog nailing the weave poles for the rst
time in six shows may be your personal
equivalent of earning a MACH title.
Quickly, easily, and o en without our
conscious awareness, perspectives on
winning shi and evolve, both across
competitors and within ourselves. us,
don't believe the myth of competition,
that making a world team, participating
in venue A over venue B, or accumulating the most points in a given qualifying
period increases one competitor's worth
over another. Yes, sports crown champions. at is part of what makes competing so thrilling: sports allow us to
measure the best on a given day. But as
competitors, we have a responsibility to
one another to honor each brave, exhilarating trip into the ring, and each daring
dream, no matter how big or small that
dream appears on the outside, and no
matter how little we might relate to it.
So be mindful not to knock those
around you simply because their goals
and achievements do not match up
word for word with your own; for it is
when we honor the vantage points of
others that we gain the freedom to honor and fully experience our own goals,
dreams, and stories.

Avoiding the "Perfect Storm"
More tangible in sport is the matter of
competing against rivals for the same

objective. Sometimes we win, and
sometimes we lose, but when we lose
failure can pinch... failure can sting...
and failure can devastate. Despite what
every third bumper sticker in America
might say, it takes a bit of digging to nd
the redeeming qualities of failure (while
they are there in numbers, that's another
story). We've all been there, and we'll all
be there again. So, naturally, failure does
not typically lead to a happy-go-lucky
competitor. It is much more common-
much more normal-to be upset, angry,
frustrated, defeated. With these emotions comes the need to release tension
in some capacity. Losing is the perfect
storm for poor sportsmanship.
When confronting poor sportsmanship,
it is helpful to give a bit of substance
to good sportsmanship. Enter respect.
Respect can be de ned as awe or admiration, but the root of respect goes
beyond approving of or taking a liking
to someone. ere is a deeper layer of
recognition, a layer in which one regards feelings, rights, traditions, and
viewpoints with care, and avoids harm
to, or unnecessary interference with,
another's a airs.
You've had a bad day: Your young dog
refused to weave in both of her classes
again, and if you had rotated just one
second earlier before the teeter, your
Clean Run | February 16

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - February 2016