public function index()
{
	$competitions = Competition::orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();

	return $this->show($competitions)
}

public function indexFinished()
{
	$competitions = Competition::where('status', '<', '1')->orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();

	return $this->show($competitions)
}

public function indexFuture()
{
	$competitions = Competition::where('status', '>=', '1')->orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();

	return $this->show($competitions);
}

protected function show($competitions)
{
	return View::make('competitions.index', compact('competitions'));
}

You can do it with query strings as well, and you will have only one method and just a switch or a if/elseif statement, where you determine with competitions to show.

Another way, more cleaner, but, i don't know exactly how you're doing them, but i have an example below (didn't tested though)

public function index($show = null)
{
	if ($status === 'finished')
	{
		$competitions = Competition::where('status', '<', '1')->orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();

	}
	elseif ($status === 'future')
	{
		$competitions = Competition::where('status', '>=', '1')->orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();
	}
	else
	{
		$competitions = Competition::orderBy('date', 'desc')->get();
	}

	return View::make('competitions.index', compact('competitions'));
}

You would basically have these routes

/competitions/ /competitions/finished/ /competitions/future/

Route::get('competitions/{status?}', 'CompetitionsController@index');

But as i said, didn't tested, so i might have missed something here and there =P

but using if else statment make it very hard to test? I think using if else just make it worse then my solution