motives for entering competitions...was Re: SC - Cheesecakejudging Laurels/Competitions

[Serian]

Greetings,
My thoughts on competition are that I can only control me
and what I do.  I have been in LOTS of competitions in my
life.  I have auditioned for musical and for theatrical
groups outside SCA since I was a child.  I've learned that
judges are human, and I shouldn't expect to agree with them
all the time or to win all the time.

I love entering competitions, and I certainly enjoy winning
(who doesn't), but I set my standard for SCA A&S
competitions to do the following:

1.  Challenge myself - I don't bother competing with
something I know I can do practically in my sleep.  The
competition should be a stretch.
2.  Prepare myself - I am learning the fine art of
documentation (a weaker point for me since I'd rather talk
with people about what I do)
3.  Go with an open mind - prepare to have something to
learn from the experience, and listen a lot.
4.  Talk with the other competitors (or at least get contact
information) so I can learn from them.
5.  Something I learned from my last A&S that I will not do
is to bring extra documentation copies or recipe copies for
the populace or other competitors who are interested.  I
found a few people who were looking for a recipe I competed
with.  
6.  Try to be satisfied with the learning, not the outcome. 
If I learned something, it was a good day.  Generally I'm
much impressed with the work of others, and am surprised if
I win.  

I guess I have worked hard (sometimes it's not easy, I'll
admit) to think of winning as learning and growing in my art
and not only winning the competition itself.

In service,
Lady Serian