A competitor who is someone in competition at that moment in time as in you are at the competition. I would say you are a competition focused BJJ student? Or Athlete. So basically if your focus is doing well at competition then you are a competitor.

I'd define it as somebody who likes competing and adjusts their training towards that goal, regardless of how many competitions they actually do (though yeah, I'd expect them to be competing at least once a year, as without it's just aggressive cosplay).

I'm very much NOT a competitor. I did it once to make sure I had that experience under my belt, hated it, not had the motivation to try it again. Though I haven't 100% ruled it out, it's pretty unlikely. My training isn't geared towards competing at all, I don't like rolling with lots of intensity. I enjoy a chilled out roll where it feels more like a chess match of technical exchanges, rather than two bighorn sheep slamming into each other.

I am the same way since turning 53 I have competed at least 3 times a years some years over a dozen times but I consider myself an old guy playing out the string I compete for personal enjoyment. It is secondary to career , family and teaching

I'm 48 now, but I want to be again. But I don't want to do it half assed. It's been about 8 years I guess since my last tournament. Even though I will never be a world champ or even a provincial champ (I'm realistic), I wouldn't want to jump in without taking it seriously. I think it's important for myself as I work to that black belt. I just need some of the chaos and injuries to settle and I will think about it again. :)

I average 1 tournament a month and I don't consider myself a competitor. I just do it to learn.

A competitor to me is someone who is trying to go out and win worlds and has a real shot at it or is able to make money doing it.
People who are on Who's Number 1 and ADCC etc.

Everyone else is just competing. They are not competitors.

I'd say that if your training is focused around competing that makes you a competitor. Maybe you compete only twice a year, but that doesn't make a difference. If you get paid to compete, then you're an athlete.

Personally, I never felt like I was a competitor. Though I was training with some of the best guys in Finland, had some success on national and international level and actually had some sponsors to help with costs.

You are a competitor if:
1) You think it makes sense to spend money on the black belt with white tag.
2) It's written on your gi, your hoodie or your t-shirt.
3) You agree with at least one of the following statements:
"I can't understand what this whole flow rolling thing is about. I either go for 100% or not at all."
"You don't need to learn self defence techniques. Training for competition works better for getting you ready for street altercations."
" That saying that there's no losing in jiu jitsu is complete bullshit."