Stupid Things Athletes Say

National Guard

"The biggest difference in me today from when I was 14 and now is that I haven't really changed at all."

Hmm... The biggest difference is that I haven't changed!!!!!!!:-?

I guess that's why she is paid to swim and not think. But hey I'm not critisizing her - it was more of a light hearted moment watching the Olympics last night. I think it is awesome that she has competed in 3 Olympics, the first one being when she was fourteen.

Who am I talking about? Can anyone answer correctly? You'll know if you were watching last night.x:-)

Leslie

Beard?

National Guard

Yes, Amanda Beard.

I probably would have said something dumb under the spotlight as well!

HRsage

I saw it too and it was Amanda Beard.

And what about the little US gymnast girl that said that the Olympics was "just another competition." I think she meant that it didn't make her that nervous, because she looked at it like it was just another competition, but the was she said it could have been better.

And why do the gymnasts always sound like they've been inhaling helium for days? Even the guys!

Whatever

Maybe her idol is Yogi Berra.

Leslie

HRsage you are absolutely right! It must be a requirement the everyone sound like Kerri Strug from the '96 Olympics. Her voice was so high pitched she squeaked!

HRGirl

I think the men can easily be explained. ;;) The women on the other hand I can't explain. I think dogs run when they talk!

Parabeagle

"I think dogs run when they talk!"

Huh? x:-/

rad

I think its because their development is stopped at preteen. They work out so hard they do not develop breasts, they do not menstruate and they sound like little girls. As for the men, well, who knows. But they do all sound squeaky!

Don D

I'm not a medical person. How does one 'stop development'?

rad

They work out so hard they develop a condition called amennorhea which means the lack of menstruation, they never even start their periods. No hormones= no boobs, no waist, and a little girl voice. This happens with many female athletes. Anorexics also develop the condition after prolonged starvation.

National Guard

Add to that the fact that the female gymnasts just don't seem able to display any emotion but crying! Their "happy" gene doesn't develop. By that I mean - I remember watching some performances where they did a spectacular performance, scored a 9.8+ and still came off the mat crying and feeling like a failure. I just don't want to watch such unhappy athlete's. I don't watch the gymnastics as faithfully anymore. The men on the other hand do continue to show emotions and pleasure after a performance that they know was a good one. The average age of the male gymnast is a lot older and more enjoyable. It was disturbing though to hear Hamm's squeeky voice - I agree - what is going on with that?

Whatever

I know I'm changing the thread, but I'm gonna have my say. When I was growing up, sports was fun. We didn't have organized sports--we played on an empty plot with no adult supervison and had a grand time. Money was not the big issue. Professional athletes were loyal to their team. Oh, yeah, they were also adults. Why are we not concerned about what the current sports atmosphere is doing to our young. It is probably permanently damaging their bodies. In some cases, they have been given steroids. I would assume emotional and social damage is done. Should children be playing professional soccer? Should children, as amateurs, be allowed to play in professional golf matches. Is it good family values to take a child away from their parents so they can learn to become world-class athletes. When Jon-Benet Ramsey was murdered, there was an outcry because she had appeared in beauty pageants. Well, in the end, isn't what is happening it sports, the same thing. End of vent.

National Guard

That's ok. It's sort of what I was saying too when I brought up the female gymnasts. All sports are probably guilty to some extent but honestly I do think ladies gymnastics has a corner on the market of underage athletes sacrificing everything just to compete. Why do they have to go through all of that just to go to the Olympics?

Yahoo

>Why do they have to go through all of that just to go to the Olympics?

Answer: Their parents. Either a parent who couldn't do it themselves & now has someone to live vicariously through or they're hung up on their social image & importance.

How many 3-year-old child actors do you really think say, "Please, Mom! I want to work 18-hour days, have no friends & let you steal my money! I don't want to have friends & go to the playground!"

Granted, there are a few exceptions to this rule. But they are few (in my humble opinion x:-) ).

safety

>>Why do they have to go through all of that just to go to the Olympics?
>
>Answer: Their parents. Either a parent who
>couldn't do it themselves & now has someone to
>live vicariously through or they're hung up on
>their social image & importance.

The answer is not necessarily their parents. When I was a teenager I had a dream of not only breaking a four-minute mile in high school but also going on to the Olympics. As a sophomore in high school I had a best time of 4 minutes and 28 seconds in the mile run. I did not compete my Jr. and Sr. year for reasons I’ll not go into here. My parents didn’t discourage me and they also didn’t encourage me to participate in cross-country or track, I chose to do so as they were sports that I were good at and enjoyed them.

I do see a connection, albeit a loose one, between my participation in the two sports mentioned above and the fact that I no longer have any cartilage in either knee. No coach ever pushed me to the point of unhealthy practice, I did that all on my own because I wanted to be the best I could be at the events I participated in, and I pushed my body to the limit each and every practice.

Yahoo

I agree that my opinion doesn't fit every case - especially those activities which don't require starting at a young age. I'm referring to specifically women's gymnastics & child actors - although there are others out there.

You could have started track in high school, trained & gone to the Olympics. You were old enough to make that decision. If a female gymnast didn't start until high school - by the time she trained to the caliber of an Olympian, she'd be "over-the-hill." I guess I'm just thinking that when your average girl starts gymnastics classes (grade school or younger?), she's too young to decide to make that kind of commitment.

Anyway, like many say - just my two-cents worth!

National Guard

Not only does an athlete reach "over-the-hill" status but those who start "late" - often there are no coaches willing to train some one "that old" It's a shame!

SMace

I still remember when Chris Washburn of the NC State Wolfpack told a reporter that he was amphibious. He could shoot with his right and left hand.

Tish

I often wonder what quality of life these athletes have once they start to get "older". I have a friend who competed professionally he is now at the ripe "OLD" age of 45 and tells me that he feels like he's 80. Every day is battle with joint pain and fatigue. I see these little girls putting their bodies through the stress and wonder if their is anyone worrying about them. Certainly not most of their coaches.

rad

The stress on their bodies is alarming. Ne'er a competition goes by that you don't see someone with an ace bandage, a taped joint, and a commentator describing the several surgeries they've had on their knee/shoulder/ankle. I have a bad back and bad knees and I am not an athlete (unless they ever allow Olympic shoe shopping x:D ) and my doctor tells me to get REST when I am feeling pain, not flip around a mat.

Parabeagle

While I was cooling my heels in Alabama last week, I found myself watching TV one evening and stumbled across Celebrity Boxing. Darva Conger vs. Olga Korbett, a former Olympic gymnast. As far as I'm concerned, even though Olga is only 45 she looks like she's about 90! I was shocked at how old she looked (and she's younger than me, for cryin' out loud).

Competition this intense has got to be hard on these young athletes later in life.

BTW, Olga lost the boxing match.

safety

Were they boxing while on a balance beam?

Parabeagle

No, and the whole thing looked pretty stupid to tell you the truth - Darva Conger was head-and-shoulders taller than Korbett, had a longer reach, and about 50 pounds on her.

But that wasn't as much of a mismatch as the 7-7 basketball player against Refrigerator Perry in the second half.

Don D

I went through this to some degree with my own son and I could literally kick my own ass for pushing him from age 5 to be the best performer. He was a star soccer goalkeeper from age 5 and was a two time state championship winner and nobody could score on him or dare get near him in the goal physically. Then he moved on to excel in baseball and high school football and started in the 10th grade in the state's largest school at the 5-A level. I had visions of him in an Auburn or Tennessee or Mississippi State uniform and he had letters from colleges in the 11th grade. Five operations later (knee, foot, knee, shoulder, knee again) he said "I'm not playing any more. I'm tired of spending every Christmas in some kind of cast and opening presents with one hand." Broke my heart. But, it now breaks my heart to know I pushed it. He's single, 24, 6 foot 4, not an ounce of fat, but any change in the weather drives him up the F-ing wall for days. x:-(

Shadowfax

Don, hope this helps a bit. My daughter, now 24, was never particularly atheletic ran track, cross-country, played soccer, except she was a natural skier. We started her skiing at 2, and at 7 we were approached by a coach in Lake Placid wondering if we would consider letting her come train there (9 hours from home in Mi). The answer, after some soul searching, was no. She continued to ski recreationally, and when a senior in college, on a trip in Canada, a Canadian coach spotted her and skied with her all day, flattering her and suggesting she 'coulda been a contender'. Well, she now is a 2nd year med student with the world potentially at her feet, and what does she think of the opportunity her mom and I squashed at age 7? She wishes we had given her the chance. Go figure. Damned if you do and....Based on the little we know of you from your posts, you've been a great father and your son is a lucky kid. You love 'em and do your best.

Yahoo

That's all any kid can ask for - parents that try & do their best.