Competing against or competing with?

I am sitting on my bed - clicking thru Facebook messages and thinking about the weekend I just had at CrossFit Dallas Central's 2nd Annual ACO competition.
One of my favorite things post competition is all the Facebook back and forth - new photos - new friends - fun messages received and sent.
I am lucky enough to have a tremendous team of athletes to work with - workout with - train with and I like to say compete with.
Tonight I noticed that several of the messages mentioned competing against me...(or insert person/team of choice here!)

While I am fully aware of the positive intention of the messages - it made me stop and think.

Do I compete with others or against them?
What is the difference?
Does it matter?

Me getting a back squat PR because of the help and support of fellow competitor Carey Kepler

To me competing with others means actively sharing training 'secrets' - helping to make other competitors perform at his/her best - applauding others' successes and do not seek his/her failure. As athletes I believe we must compete with one another. We must agree on the rules of competition and learn from each other . We need each other to develop and sustain our best performances and to generate public interest in the sport of CrossFit. I look at the competitors as valuable resources - I respect everyone of you and hope to learn from your efforts. The sport of CrossFit will succeed if we can share in the element of playfulness and stay unified as a team even as we compete along side one another.

To me competing against others means you - other competitors - are a threat to my success and enemies I must beat. (just typing that makes me anxious!! that's a big task....) If I compete against you, I keep my tricks to myself and in turn will never learn from your secrets. There is no collaboration and no support. When I compete against you, I am operating in fear , without playfulness, and without a team.

"Competing with advances the common good...it is a win-win!"

My success this weekend is due to the fact that I got to compete with so many of my best friends, family members, co-workers, and community CrossFit buds! I'd love to write a list but it is too long and I am sure I'd leave someone....so you know who you are - THANK YOU for making me better - I can only hope I do the same for you.

"Success means being the best. Excellence means being your best. Success to many, means being better than everyone else. Excellence means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday. Success means exceeding the achievements of other people. Excellence means matching your practice with your potential." Business Times by Kishu Gomes