I distinctly remember having a competition over spelling tests with my 4th grade classmate Blake (I eventually lost after misspelling one word the whole year- Blake unfortunately was flawless!). In middle school, high school, and college my competitive nature led me to the soccer field, basketball court, softball diamond, and lacrosse field.

It's in my blood. I'm a competitor.

Usually, it's a positive quality. It drove me to succeed in school and in sports, and now it helps me in my career. But every once in awhile, I can go a little bit over the top. Friendly "Cranium" board game matches or "Catchphrase" sessions can turn into heated exchanges. My best friends quickly turn into enemies, and my poor friend Bobby has heard me say "I hate you" more times than he can count. We both know I never mean it and we laugh about it later (after the game is over, of course). A college friend even affectionately nicknamed me "Competitina" for my antics.

So now here I am in the competitive world of TV News. It's not a coincidence that I chose a profession that is fiercely competitive. First, you must compete with hundreds of people across the country to get a job. You see, everyone wants to be on TV and there aren't nearly enough positions for all of the job-seekers. Once you've finally landed a job, it's time to compete against the other stations in the market. Compete to get the information first, to uncover pertinent facts, and to tell creative and compelling stories.

This week the competition for viewers heats up. November is a ratings month in the TV World, so stations across the country battle to get the most viewers to tune into their newscasts. This will be my first sweeps month here in Hampton Roads, and I'm excited to be a part of the battle.