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Charles was a 21 year old skate boarder in California. He is enjoys visiting the skateboard rings and practicing his moves. The tourneys were fierce competition. Charles was a good sportsman, but he hated too loose. Peter was his rival in most of the competition. They would battle it out. Peter was not a good sportsman. He wanted to win and he did not care how he did it. Most of the time the competition officials monitored the 2 very closely to ensure fairness. But they could not be everywhere.


The tourneys were coming to a close for the season. Charles and Peter were tied for first place. The winner received a championship trophy and bragging rights for the whole year. The winner would also receive a sizable cash prize and many endorsements. Charles and Peter had frequent confrontations both in and out of the ring. They usually just exchanged words and went on their way. The final competition drew near and things were heating up.


Each practiced every day, and the confrontations continued. One day when Charles was on the way home he stopped by the local skateboard equipment shop to get some oil for his board. He went in and chatted with the owner for a few minutes and left as night was falling. The owner said, good luck in the competition. I know you will win. As he left the store he was approached by 2 guys. They said, you are not going to win the tourney, we are going to make sure of that.


They pulled out knives and started toward Charles. Charles started swinging his skateboard to stop them. The owner of the store saw what was going on and called the police. He also grabbed a stick and came out to help Charles. The punks heard the police sirens and saw that they were out brained, and tried to run for it. The cops surrounded them and took them into custody. After lengthy questioning the police linked the criminals to Peter. The Skateboard Competition committee banned Peter from this and all future competitions and to this day Charles still holds the trophy.


Competitions can become violent. Many fans and competitors are injured every year because of competition that went too far. Some fans and competitors do not know how to control their emotions. They believe that you must win at all cost. Many are doing jail time right now, because they did not know when enough was enough. They harass competitors and their families and go beyond the normal competitive practices.


There have been reports of vandalism, stalking and all other types of personal invasions. Winning is great but when it hurts someones family or lands you in jail you have to wonder it was worth it. If you are a competitor be aware that the struggle for territory is a normal part the games. When it escalates beyond that, it is time to report and steer clear of the individuals causing the problem. Have a plan in case you are confronted with violence as a fan or competitor.