Higher calling???
I don’t consider being competitive a “calling” of any kind.
When competing, you’ll either enjoy it, or you won’t. Yes there is a certain thrill about going all the way to the edge against a TRUE rival - but (for me at least) I’d hardly call it a religious experience.
I personally learn a lot more from challenging myself and improving my own personal best performance.
But for COMPETITION (as expressed in the OP) IMO there’s really only one way of doing it. But I can’t say it gives anything back to the same extent that conquering internal aspects of myself does.