What is a Champion?

A friend and colleague recently asked me “what does the word ‘champion’ mean to you?” I’ve got to be honest, it took be by surprise because, until then, I hadn’t really thought about it. Initially, the image that popped into my mind was of an athlete standing atop a podium, having achieved their life’s athletic achievement. But then I thought some more, is that the only type of champion? No way. The visage of an athlete is probably the most common type of “champion” people envision but I want to change that.

I come from a sports background, that’s not a secret. However, in recent years I’ve realized that my favorite part of sport is the personal empowerment that goes along with working towards a goal. Anyone can be a champion. And no, this isn’t some sort of feel-good bullshit, I truly believe that anyone can be a champion in their chosen pursuit; you can be a champion of human rights, a champion of musical literacy, a champion mom.

Alright, alright, what does this have to do with actually being a champion? Being a champion consists of two parts- being the best version of your self you can be in your chosen arena- athlete, musician, social worker, parent, construction worker- AND empowering other people to be the best versions of themselves they can be too. A true champion isn’t threatened by anyone else’s greatness, they embrace it because they know it will make everyone better and that it will raise the bar for their arena of work.

So yeah, you can win a bunch of races, get a bunch of trophies, and technically, by the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition, be a champion, but you’re not a Champion until you can do that AND empower others to do the same. So, go out and be champions. That’s my answer to the question, what’s yours?