No one has ever beat me. But boy have I spent many years in this hobby beating myself. I once said to a fellow group of fliers that I can beat JW on any given day, and so can they. They all laughed. But, how many contests have you flown 3 near-perfect rounds and then screwed the pooch on the 4th? I've done it many times. Who beat me? I did. It's about being consistent. And the top fliers are just that.
I've placed less than 1st in most contests, and placed 1st in a few. But I still went home feeling good. 'Cause I had a damn good time doing it- Flying I mean. Gordy's right. It boils down to having fun with friends doing something we love.