"Life is made up of goals, self set and those set by others. As adults we have to learn to deal with disappointment and work out accordingly how to modify our behaviour to acheive our goals. "
Yes- but achieving goals is NOT the same as competition. You can achievbe goals alongside others, in co-operation with others, etc etc. Setting high standards for yourself is not the same as being competitive.
I was a teenage athlete. I actually held a national record for my age group for a track event for about 3 years. I trained hard, won a lot. Now I am the mother of a 5 year-old with a mobility disability who will be very put out when he encounters his first Year 1 sports day next year.
I DO think that competeitve sport is important for sportsfolk. If running is your thing, running against others is your lifesblood. For everyone else, it is pointless. (actually, I found it pointless too, and one Saturday afternoon with my thumbs on the track waitiong for the gun, I looked along the line, saw exactly the same row of bent heads I had seen every Saturday afternoon for the past 8 weeks, knew we would all finish in a group separated by .01's of a second, and thought 'how bloody pointless' and that was the end of my athletics career!).
I would have competitive sports for those that can do it and make a 'thing' of it, and enjoyable sporty team games for the rest.
DS IS competitive, and he will be devstated that he just can't keep up in running. He has to cope with that all the time - and there's certainly no bloody glory in beating him! For the winners, there is only any glory in beating those of a similiar ability - so keep it that way.
I could run - but am not at all competitive. But i srt bloody high goals for myself.
Life may well be about goals, but there's not much hope for us if it is about dog-eat-dog and glorying in beating the ones at the back in sports day who never stood a chance anyway!