Well, a couple of reasons. First of all, it came up on a list of words with the letters "tri" in it, so it seemed fitting since I coach a lot of triathletes. [Unfortunately the better word S"tri"ve was already taken! :-) ] Secondly, it sounded a bit edgy and competitive.
Sometimes the word "competition" gets a bad rap and has a negative connotation. I've been a competitive athlete for a long time. But (since becoming a Christian, especially), I am not all that fond of an attitude that focuses on "beating others". To me, that is a bit pointless and arrogant (not that I don't still fall into that trap at times!).
I place no value on mean-spirited competition or boasting about winning. I believe in striving for excellence not to beat others, but to improve oneself. Healthy competition brings out the best in each of us. We finish races with hundreds of people in them faster and stronger than if we were to race that distance alone.
When we compete against others--and "rival" each other--it brings out our best. Sure, there will always be someone who is faster and someone who is slower, but the rivalry in competition pushes us to our fullest potential. You can seek to "out-rival" your fellow competitors, the time-clock, or even past performances and personal records. Let's admit it: the training can be fun... but without the opportunity of (friendly, of course) rivalry, the training gets boring! We train because we like to compete.
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