“Gauderunde” or “tournament mode”?

While some seem to cling to their achievements as if there were no tomorrow, others seem almost indifferent to whether they hit something or not. What at first glance couldn't be more different, I believe, is actually not as different as it seems. Like two sides of the same coin. My theory is that both of these extremely distinctive shooter types, at some point in their shooting careers, or even earlier in their lives, reached a point where an unconscious arrangement was made.

Here is an example

Susi discovered archery a few months ago. She quickly developed a very good performance, so much so that she even participated in tournaments and won her first prizes. At first, she was insecure and had little confidence in herself, but after a while, she began to enjoy her success. But the better she became, the more pressure she put on herself. Two years and several tournaments later, she noticed her obsession with her performance. She realized that at some point she stopped enjoying the sport. So she decided to distance herself from the tournaments. Susi now goes shooting more often in her area. She sees many of her old friends there and usually doesn't even record her performance. Today, she can't understand how she could have gotten so lost in it. Philipp is completely different. He has been shooting for many years and trains hard for his passion. One of the first tournaments he participated in was a 24-hour tournament. At a tournament like this, everyone has the opportunity to complete as many rounds of the course as they like within 24 hours. All scores are then added together at the end to determine the respective points. Phillip can still remember how his strength had almost deserted him in the final hours. He was about to give up, but the group he had completed his rounds with spurred him on one last time. He fought his way through the course, hitting very few things. Finally, the awards ceremony came, and not only did he unexpectedly take first place, he also realized that the last round he completed also brought him the decisive final points for his victory. He often thinks back to that day, because that's when he learned how crucial it can be to go the extra mile in life. Of course, Philipp also has bad days when nothing seems to work out, but he simply cannot understand people who don't even really try.

So who is right?

If the question arises as to whether the fun of the activity or the ambition is more important, I would rather question the question itself. After all, who of us, when thinking about archery, only has the fun or the achieved success in mind? Hitting the target? Or perhaps the joy of hitting the target? Ultimately, it is always a matter of giving up part of our imagination. An arrangement to avoid having to see the truth. And no, we don't always have to achieve everything we want, but doesn't the journey there take up much more of our life than reaching the actual goal? Because if that is the case, then surely the journey itself should bring us the most joy. But no standstill in our development can ever offer us this joy in the long run.

But there is one thing that should not be forgotten.

Once we become aware of our commonalities, understanding develops and we create connection. Ultimately, our exact opposite is the very element we lack to achieve balance. Because only where there is one extreme can there also be another, which then usually triggers us. How could one side be entirely wrong if, by embracing both, we become excellent marksmen? Let's learn from each other in this spirit to help each other progress. In precisely this one thing we already share!