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What makes an athlete in your mind?

superqt4u2nv

Elite
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Been a little while since we had a debate here and lets face it this board has been a little slow so please define for me what the word athlete means to you.

dictionary said:
ath·lete (ăth'lēt')
n.
A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.
 
being able to just STFU.....and train.


It's about the realization that the REAL contest is simply against yourself and somehow, someway THAT sustains you on the cold rainy days when you want to say fuck it and sleep in.
 
There's also that discussion of what do you consider a sport - i.e. physique competition - but there's no question that the competitors in this event are athletes and elite athletes at that.
 
I definitely think figure/fitness/bodybuilding are all sports, but I do agree that the way figure is presented makes it appear less like a sport. Maybe it's the heels or the makeup or the sometimes thousand dollar suits. I just think all of that takes away from the athleticism.
I've been to a few shows where inappropriate guys in the audience keep yelling out sexual shit, whistling etc. That really pisses me off because I feel like that takes the focus off of their hard work-then again, I think figure shows are marketed towards that-geared towards male audiences.
 
Figure shows exist because ticket sales were dropping around the late 90s when women's BB started getting a little too freaky.
 
I don't really know how to define "athlete"...but I can tell within seconds of talking to someone if they are one or not. It's more attitude than physical. Someone who trains or plays a sport is just that...a person who trains or plays a sport...an athlete is much more.

Regarding aesthetic competitions, I don't think any of them are sports, nor do I consider anything with "judges" and not referees to be sports.
 
Anthony Roberts said:
I don't really know how to define "athlete"...but I can tell within seconds of talking to someone if they are one or not. It's more attitude than physical. Someone who trains or plays a sport is just that...a person who trains or plays a sport...an athlete is much more.

Regarding aesthetic competitions, I don't think any of them are sports, nor do I consider anything with "judges" and not referees to be sports.
So you’re saying figure skating and gymnastic are not sports?
 
claire said:
I thought this was a great article on some of the challenges a figure competitor goes through. I am not a figure competitor but I respect their hardwork and dedication. I consider them athletes.

http://www.musclewithattitude.com/readTopicMwa.do?id=1516819

I wrote an article on a figure competitor for T-Nation, and it got more replies than any article for the site, ever:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1132766

And after that there was a flurry of womens' articles on the site...all lame as hell, and a figure forum...again, lame as hell. But I agree with you, in part...some figure girls (Rosanne Clemente, who I wrote my article on) are athletes. Others aren't. It's attitude...I don't know how else to explain it.

This weekend, the collegiate rugby team I coach lost a game by a couple of points to a first division mens club...just to be able to compete at that level, with only a couple of years of training is remarkable. I told them that they accomplished something great by just being able to hold their own, in their early 20's, against guys who have been playing for a decade...is a huge accomplishment. A sophomore on the team said that it's all bullshit....a loss is a loss, and fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.

To me, that's an athlete. All that shit about "competing against yourself" is loser-talk. I don't know how else to explain it...but that attitude makes an athlete, in my eyes.

Another point: I worked with a girl who wanted to win her class and the overall at this particular show. She won her class. Then she wanted to enter 2 more, to compete, to see how she did, to have fun. I told her "good luck" and didn't work with her for those shows. She placed progressively worse in each one. Without the winning attitude, you're not an athlete, and I don't want any part of that.

The kids I coach (rugby) are all athletes. We have a 90% winning record over the years I've been head coach. Prior to that it was under 50%. I don't know how else to explain what an athlete is...but it's along these lines...

I dunno...some people will understand what I'm saying, others won't, I guess.
 
A sport has a clearly defined winner.

ie - its NOT subjective - at least imo.

That does rule out bbing etc, but that does NOT mean that the competitors are not athletes.
 
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