Grounds Crew preps for TTT '09 Photo: Katherine Tweed

Last week my brother Thomas declared "You're all going down." As one of the defending champions of the 2008 TTT, he isn't kidding.

This weekend is the start of the most important athletic event in my calendar year – the Tweed Tennis Tournament, commonly referred to as the TTT. It is a two-day single elimination mixed doubles tournament with a run off for third place, the coveted "winners of the losers" spot. When I confirmed if Uncle Lou and his girlfriend were playing – the answer was simply "We're playing to win." My cousin Laura told me she's just hoping her forehand holds up.

The trash talking doesn't begin Saturday at noon as the early rounds kick off, it goes on all year long – in person and via email. It forces me to get out and practice my terrible serve as soon as the weather is nice enough on the worn courts of New York City. I am not alone.

Bev Sklar, Fit Family columnist for That's Fit says, "It doesn't matter what game we play, it always turns into a competition -- poker, ping-pong, ladder ball, corn hole, tennis or golf." I can relate. My mother hates losing at ping-pong.

The competitiveness in Bev's family has led to broken furniture at birthday parties when adults take over vicious games of musical chairs. It also means that she has prioritized sports and outdoor fun with her own children. "You're constantly facing some sort of physical contest," she says, "so some of us keep our edge with physical fitness, while others mix an appletini. The kids absorb the energy and are first in line for the fun."

A recent study from the Bristol University in the UK confirmed that activity is indeed influenced by family, as well as socio-economic status. If kids are more likely to have sports club memberships, they're more likely to take part in exercise. But it wasn't just the purchasing of athletic gear and lessons – one girl told researchers that "mum encourages me to do sport because she's quite sporty."

Ditto. Tennis was not optional in my household. My mother is an avid player and so everyone else played. Nor was it an elective for many of my cousins. But we were also driven to tennis lessons, and given second-hand tennis racquets. According to the study, children of lower socio-economic status are often told they should take part in sports, but not necessarily given the tools or examples that make that possible.

This is where some healthy family competition comes in. As Bev notes, whenever anyone loses (apparently at anything) in her family – the next question is "two out of three?"

It is that desire to get back out there and try again at winning that can inspire a lifetime of fitness. Competition can obviously cross the line, and there are plenty of anecdotes about parents pushing children too hard to be a star athlete. But it also builds an intrinsic love of an activity – even if it's only croquet or bocce ball, and not more intensive sports like soccer or tennis. A recent survey, also from the UK, found that many Britons are too lazy to get outside and play with their children.

But even if you're short on expendable income, or time, it doesn't take much to get some competition going. There's Frisbee and jump rope. My brother even likes to race the family dog in swim races when a human is not available. Even better, the dog doesn't rub it in after winning.

As for the TTT, Uncle Fred, who holds most of the titles, has already warned his two children (not kids, both approaching 30) that they need to "bring the championship back to the family" after neither one was able to win last year in his absence. But unless I'm partnered with my uncle or cousin Fred, I hope they both go down.

Is your family competitive? Does it drive your fitness routine, or is the pressure a turn off?

If you're looking to get some low-key competition started, try beach paddleball if you're headed to the shore this weekend.