"Compete (verb): strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same."
I copied and pasted this definition directly from a Google search of the definition for the word 'compete'.
As contracting arborists, we spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about 'the competition'. Whether it's our contracting competitors in a local market, our colleagues at chapter and international events, our co-workers, or just our own internal egos; competing is as embedded in the threads of arboriculture as is a sharp saw. Establishing superiority echoes in my mind especially when I read that definition, because this is everyone's dark little secret when it comes to competing. We celebrate community, we celebrate the industry and safety and sharing knowledge all the wonderful things that competing draws out, but the superiority thing gets consuming and ugly. The truth is though, rank is necessary for a number of reasons, not at all ugly in hindsight.
This year alone I've made it to four major events so far: The Charlotte, The New England TCC, Penn-Del TCC and JAMBO; and in a few weeks I'll be traveling to The Kentucky TCC. So five. I've spent well over two thousand dollars in travel expenses, and I've driven well over three thousand miles. I could sit here and talk about how happy and wonderful it is and all the great people I've met and the beautiful state parks I've stayed at and the beautiful parks we've climbed in and all the great people I've stayed in touch with, but I want to be honest and not sound cliche. I want the superiority, I want to be better than the other climbers, just like every other competitive climber out there.
When we compete, you go under the microscope. As climbers, there's no more hiding ugly technique or unsafe acts. For the most part, tree climbing competitions have proven to be MUCH safer than the working environment, because of that microscope. We have other experienced climbers and arborists judging, many familiar events and tasks that do emulate what we do for the most part, and at the end of the day, no matter how many pats on the back you got or pow wows you've been in, the numbers are what they are, and you're left to stand alone amongst your peers, in the order in which you've finished. Some people will never make it out of the bottom, some people will grip the title for years, and some will nauseatingly close.
This chase is extremely addictive in nature. It has a lot to do with ego, but I think at the core it's much more a trait of the perfectionist and the artist. As arborists we're tradesmen and women, and even more so we are crafts people, artisans if you will. If we can look at tree climbing as an art, I think it's easier to understand the competition as a blank canvas. With each new event is a new opportunity to create, even if it is fleeting, a masterpiece. Tree climbing is as much about imagination and creativity as it is about effectiveness and economy. It's a movement without fault, and there are a million moving pieces. When you watch the best climbers either at a chapter level or international level, it is something to envy. And there is no doubt the great ones are superior, dominant climbers that anyone could aspire to emulate.
Sounds a lot like a successful business to me.
There is no doubt that competition brings out the best in us. We become better, more effective arborists due to the fact of constantly trying to establish a rank better than the current. We are RE-motivated. We push ourselves on minute levels in order to gain all the points we can. Every single second matters, every single move counts, every single mistake adds up, and at the end of the day we're left to deal with that performance, like it or not.
Getting better means changing things. It's eating better, it's thinking better, it's climbing better, it's living better, it's a better rank, it's a higher place. So how can we not get better by chasing this goal of superiority?
Consuming as it is on the mind and on the body (and in some cases the wallet), it's such a perfect allegory for life. I think maybe we take ourselves a little too seriously sometimes when it comes down to me vs. you. But how can't we? After all, usually, even on a chapter level you have some of the best arborists in the area competing against each other. Each one of them is capable of many of the same tasks in the work place, where really it's mere seconds that separate them from 1st and 21st place. A half of a point may determine the best from second best. But if you think of it on the level of total accumulation, every day we work so extremely hard for those seconds and half-a-points, and when we obsess over it, those seconds turn into minutes that turn into hours that turn into days and weeks and years. So no matter if your 1st or 21st, I think it's important to keep striving forward, to keep getting points and seconds everywhere, because it's the masterpiece of our industry. Seconds and half points make good arborists great.
They say that competition is great for the consumer. I say it's great for everyone. Go win something today.
