jensenracing77

i agree. it takes an enormous amount of self discipline to be real competitive in sports like quad and motorcycle MX or BMX or other sports like these. not many people understand just how much of an athlete you have to be to be competitive in these sports. when i was racing the pro/am class in Quad MX i was eating right, drinking tons of water and doing lung exercises till i could hold my breath for almost 2 minutes. there is nothing i hate worse than those 3 things but had to do it or race lower classes. then lower classes didn't pay money so i couldn't have raced at all. like any sport, the better you get the more it comes down to money. you start racing because it was fun. then the sponsors start paying you but have expectations on what class you run and what you can do on you spare time.

Allan R

Yes! Totally agreed and X2 on the youthful participation. In later years I just didn't make the time except for when my son was growing up, then I coached his soccer, skating, curling, football, badminton. Hell, I would have gone into any sport he was interested in because I care about him and wanted his early formative years to know support, how to win, how to lose and how to grow. It also helped us bond closely as a father/son team. I'm very proud of that. Now, he has since turned into a fine 6'3" young man who doesn't have to prove himself physically (even though he works out every day and can leap small buldings without breaking a sweat) and is more interested in auto cad, architeture, electrical and mechanical engineering.

Me? I like some sports but not all of them. I watch some on the tube, but I'm not drawn fanatically to sports unless it grabs my attention, but I value the entertainment behind most of it. I can spend as many happy hours changing tires, oil, coolant etc or cutting grass, gardening, BBQ'ing, family activities or just going for a walk. Life is too short to just focus on one thing or criticize all the other things you don't do. IMO that's kind of like fishing for a support network just because you feel left out. Not necessary.

The only sport I actively participate in right now can be played year round indoors and involves:
Highly skilled balance,
judging speed accurately
knowledge of angles
specific directional controls related to speed
aerobic conditioning
arm and leg strength
keen eyesight
tactical planning
excellent verbal communication
maintaining a time schedule
friendly balanced competition

For the garbonzo bean prize: What is this sport? (and some of you will probably say "that ain't a sport" but you'd be wrong.

I Believe you can be whatever you want and can balance your life to suit your life preference. Just because some find wrenching more fun doesn't mean sports is a dull world. Conversely a lot of 'sports' fans would equally find the gearhead discussions of this forum equally dull.
To each their own. I won't give up my interest in sports for this forum, and I won't give up my interest in this forum for sports.

MDchanic

I'm sorry to make the first post here disagreeing with someone.

The other possibility, Aces, is that you will create the same sort of annoying person we all have to deal with every day, who competes with you even when you're not competing with him, whether at work, where you're supposed to be working together, or on the road, when he's driving in an imaginary race, or in the bar, where there's zero chance your girlfriend or wife will go out with him, but he keeps "competing" with you anyway, who sees everyone as some sort of "enemy," and who is only happy when he thinks he's "won."

No thanks. There's more to life than that.

- Eric

Eric Anderson

I like sports, at pretty much all levels, from the pros to my little 8 year old kids teams. I coach t-ball, basket ball and soccer and I think it's great for the kids. I would have to say I don't feel being involved in sports breeds any type of competive superiority complex, I've seen it in all walks of life from the guy who thinks he's the neighborhood king because his landscaping is perfect or the guy who thinks his car is the bomb and yours is a piece of shyt because he has date coded valve stem caps and you don't. If a person is that way they will be that way sports or not. Just my 2pennies.

coppercutlass

it's also got alot to do with the pressure from the parents i know im young and dont have kids but im young enough to see the affect of some of these parents who pushed some of my friends to do sports all kinds of sports some they didnt like. but to a kid you make your parents happy when you win when you get an A+ etc. failure is not celebrated and it becomes stuck to your mentality and you grow into it it's the sport menatlity when your home team looses they dont celebrate they go home empty handed to angry fans., so these kids watch their dads when their home team looses and see the anger ,disappointment etc and they want to win so daddy dosent yell like he does when the home team looses thats my take on that. like i said im not a parent but i saw it first hand what my friends went through and they werent happy

Aceshigh

Let's be real......

Not everyone is cracked up to be a leader (coach), or a good parent. It's a learning process for everyone. There's no manuals.
For me, it's about guiding them into a good field of options. If they don't like it, they don't have to do it.

Opening doors and encouraging them is what I'm talking about. Forcing them is a bad thing to do.
On the flipside, I see a bunch of parents with ZERO INTEREST in their kids lives and zero guidance.
Kids are obese, lazy, no ambition, no face to face social skills off the internet, and that's % is increasing more and more these days.

Hell I'm in my 30's and the dating scene was horrible with women that had no clue how to cook, keep house, or organize anything.
The numbers are dwindling.

LOL.....

What you described above can be any idiot off the street with insecurities who has or has never played a team sport in his life.
That's got nothing to do with grooming a young man or woman to be competitive in sports.
Sports teaches healthy living , teamwork, and builds confidence in social circles which help in life.

For starters, LIFE IS COMPETITION.
Anyone who denies that is delusional. Every job you get in life, every business you own, every stock you buy, it's all a rat race.

Not everyone in life is competitive.
Not everyone is life is successful either.
In my opinion, those that strive harder to succeed shine the brightest. In order to succeed, you will always have to overcome competition.

rustyroger

[QUOTE

The only sport I actively participate in right now can be played year round indoors and involves:
Highly skilled balance,
judging speed accurately
knowledge of angles
specific directional controls related to speed
aerobic conditioning
arm and leg strength
keen eyesight
tactical planning
excellent verbal communication
maintaining a time schedule
friendly balanced competition

For the garbonzo bean prize: What is this sport? (and some of you will probably say "that ain't a sport" but you'd be wrong.

[/QUOTE]
.Squash, darts, pool & snooker all could fit the bill, is it a worldwide pastime or an American thing?.

Wait a moment, bar room brawling, right?.

Roger.

junqueboi

I'm trying to digest/understand this. If this statement implies that that non-competitiveness = failure then I have to disagree. I am incredibly non-competitive yet I have maintained a white-collar position in a large organization full of politics, diversity BS, etc. since 2004 & have accumulated most of my favorite vehicles & a shop in which to tinker on them. Instead of focusing on how I can be better than my peers, I focus on doing the best job I can do. My competence (is that a word?) has kept me here, not my competitiveness.

The nice part about it is that my peers find me very approachable & I don't find myself in defensive situations even when I have to deal with highly-competitive personalities. I figure if someone truly does a better job than me, he/she rightfully deserves my position.

I don't know why I'm wired like this but it has carried over to sports. I never liked sports which has always disappointed my father who is/was one of the most athletic people I have ever met. I was (involuntarily)on basketball, tennis, & soccer teams & even a bowling league & hated every moment of it. I lost more than I won (tennis/bowling) but when I did win I felt bad for the person I was playing against.. in fact, I actually felt worse winning as strange as that sounds.

Never had a desire to attend or watch any sporting events & probably never will. I am the biggest car fanatic of anyone I've ever met before..yet have zero interest in any kind of car racing whether track or strip.

I have caught at the dragstrip before (guilty as charged)...but only to listen to/ watch the few non-modified old cars operate at full throttle.


This part of the above quote, "In my opinion, those that strive harder to succeed shine the brightest." I totally agree with though.

Funkwagon455

No judgements here, but my domain is in the shop. It is the place that I am most comfortable...., even on a 107 degree North Texas day. My lovely wife came from a family of sports fanatics, and sometimes is frustrated with my lack of enthusiasm. Thankfully she has accepted my differences as I accept her family's passions. The world would be a very mundane place if we shared the same passions and opinions. Everybody is different, some folks need sports to develop physical/social skills and confidence. Others are naturally blessed with their own personal talents.......and flaws as well.

oldsguybry

Go Brewers , Go Packers.......woooooohooooo!

oldsguybry

years ago my buddy picked up a early 60's Gibson ESG hollowbody for like $200 at a rummage sale that particular guitar is worth five figures potentially.... a few years later he found another steal , a late 60's Gibson SG junior for a small fee like the other guitar.....noooooo it dont end there, he also has a Martin 12 string that he also picked up cheap... I never have that kind of luck , but then again im no where as cheap as he is.... sorry this is off the subject , but when I seen your guitar list I had to comment... great guitars BTW

Allan R

sshhhhh! Wrenchers vs Gearheads....Sunday at 11 - Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit! Who will be the heavyweight builder of the the tightest fastest rear end and gearbox??? See the amazing teardown and rebuild of a 674 cu in thingy with lots of parts! Admission free to anyone with a set of coveralls and grease smears on their face! Bring your own tools to throw. Liability waiver must be signed at the door

Ok, now I'm gonna die........and rot in hell..... amongst other things......if the wrenchers and gearheads sneak up and catch me. I might be able to outwaddle them and escape by rolling down a flight of stairs.

coppercutlass

lol allan r i would pay to see that ., actually i did do that i participated in skills usa through my high school body shop program., it was about who could paint, fix ,sand straighten with less filler and be fast etc. thats my kind of competition i place 5th out of the whole state of ill. my work was all perfect they said but my lack of safety cost me points .

BILL DEMMER

i'm with ya dude, i got no use for sports.


bill

Allan R

Now that's what I call sporting performance! Good for you and congrats on the skills you picked up! Only thing I would support the judges on with your demerits is that you really want to work safely to ensure you'll be around to share your knowledge with us for many years to come.

citcapp

This thread has sure gotten a lot more press then I would have thought. i am always the odd man out with all the people I know. With the start of foot ball season its hard to get anyone up for a nice cruise. Whats up with that?

gearheads78

I'm there man the roads will be clear

hunter

I'd of loved to start football in 5th grade and gotten a bit bigger, but I really just couldn't get into the training. I hate playing sports unless it's casual backyard football. Yet I absolutely love watching sports. It's all about picking a team, watching them progress, attending their games, meeting people, and best of all: Making fun of your rivals when they lose. as a Tennessee Vols fan I just can't do that this year.

PGH Cutlass

i watched football alot when i was young,i even have a football card collection that i started when i was 7.i stopped collecting cards around 12 and stopped watching football all to gather(im 31).i just have know interest at all i cant even play madden football video games and everybody acts like they just loves madden.