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How do you consider someone being an athlete?

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Replies

  • sportygal1971
    sportygal1971 Posts: 60 Member
    Something competitive that takes skill. Of course darts and cupstacking exert differently than wrestling or bob sledding, but it still is all sport. And don't poo poo cupstacking. It takes hours of practice and takes skill.
    So I guess you can debate sport vs. athlete, but athleticism involves muscle memory, hence why chess is a game and not a sport, and race driving can be debated as to engage the clutch and speed that could be muscle memory for athletic status.

    https://youtu.be/ECH1JIdr2Do
    btw these are cup stack records....not that I receive some perk for this sport, but being bored at home w covid lockdowns, this is something I can do on rest days!!
  • siberiantarragon
    siberiantarragon Posts: 265 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Others that I don't consider athletes- race car drivers, golfers, and competitive food eaters.

    Race car drivers actually have to go through a lot of physical training, and driving the car is very physically taxing. You have to be in good shape to be able to do it. Even just the fact of how hot the car gets in itself requires a high level of physical endurance, and then there's also the g-forces exerted so a lot of leg/arm strength is needed to maneuver the car. Here's an article describing the effects of auto racing on the body and the training regimen.

    https://www.wordracing.com/auto-racing-fitness.htm