Is it depriving or unethical for a child to be involved in heavy duty athletics?

[shogun rua]

was watching a show about female gymnasts and their very spartan like training schedule.

The girls would train 3 hours BEFORE school, and another 4 and a half afterward. or on average, between 5 to 7 hours.

Are they missing out when compared with your average kid?

discuss

[Grapes]

I voted other but I refuse to specify. Take that!

[ebbomega]

Is the average kid missing out on the opportunities created by intense physical training?

I think it depends on the level of involvement in the decision making process the kid is granted.

my best friend and i trained for a few years, i sucked and she went on to be awesome. she is moving to las vegas this month to work with cirque du soliel, and perform.

she is 30 y/o and the average age of the performers is 18. did it suck when she was a kid, yeah. did she make a serious sacrifice, yeah. is it worth it now, fuck yeah.

[rawb]

i hear it causes you to constantly ask questions in poll form and never be able to come up with concrete opinions of your own.

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by Avana

my best friend and i trained for a few years, i sucked and she went on to be awesome. she is moving to las vegas this month to work with cirque du soliel, and perform.

she is 30 y/o and the average age of the performers is 18. did it suck when she was a kid, yeah. did she make a serious sacrifice, yeah. is it worth it now, fuck yeah.

you're talking about gymnastics?

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by ebbomega

Is the average kid missing out on the opportunities created by intense physical training?

No, the opportunities to do regular kid stuff. like fuck around, 'hang out', daydream, play videogames, stuff like that. Basically the things kids have without a regimented training regime.

Originally Posted by ebbomega

I think it depends on the level of involvement in the decision making process the kid is granted.

well imagine the American system, as opposed to say the chinese or soviet system where the kid is like the main breadwinner of the family.

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by Avana

my best friend and i trained for a few years, i sucked and she went on to be awesome. she is moving to las vegas this month to work with cirque du soliel, and perform.

she is 30 y/o and the average age of the performers is 18. did it suck when she was a kid, yeah. did she make a serious sacrifice, yeah. is it worth it now, fuck yeah.

so it's not worth it if you don't get a job with it?

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by rawb

i hear it causes you to constantly ask questions in poll form and never be able to come up with concrete opinions of your own.

I'M SORRY THIS ISN'T MAKING ANY SENSE. IS YOUR CAPS BROKEn

[ebbomega]

Originally Posted by shogun rua

No, the opportunities to do regular kid stuff. like fuck around, 'hang out', daydream, play videogames, stuff like that. Basically the things kids have without a regimented training regime.

Yes, I got that. My question was rhetorical.

well imagine the American system, as opposed to say the chinese or soviet system where the kid is like the main breadwinner of the family.

Yes, I know. But even in good ole 'Murica sometimes the parents push too hard on their kids without letting them decide for themselves. That's where it starts to become a problem for the kid. It still depends.

Similarly you could ask if pushing kids towards singing, or acting, or any other career that essentially means side-stepping normal development because you want to nurture something that they could really succeed in. It can be done well, or it can be abused. MJ, Drew Barrymore, Macaulay Culkin, plenty of examples to look at where the kids were denied their childhood, their parents tried to make all the decisions for them, and they suffered because of it.

[-evil-duerr-]

missing out on what?


the "average kid" activities like videogames, toys, cartoons, field trips etc. could all be fit into the schedule of an athlete. They'd just have less time/energy to wine about being bored and asking for junk from their parents.

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by ebbomega

Yes, I know. But even in good ole 'Murica sometimes the parents push too hard on their kids without letting them decide for themselves. That's where it starts to become a problem for the kid. It still depends.

Similarly you could ask if pushing kids towards singing, or acting, or any other career that essentially means side-stepping normal development because you want to nurture something that they could really succeed in. It can be done well, or it can be abused. MJ, Drew Barrymore, Macaulay Culkin, plenty of examples to look at where the kids were denied their childhood, their parents tried to make all the decisions for them, and they suffered because of it.

I put sports in a different category because I feel like it's a good metaphor for life.

I remember watching one of the UFC countdowns a while back where Rampage and Chuck were having their rematch. Rampage goes:

"I don't want no beat-down ragged-ass Chuck. I want the best Chuck there is.... Nothing comes easy. If it's easy, it ain't worth it."

Therein lies the words of every true fighter or competitor. Victory is predicated on overcoming a real challenge. Without this lesson people, and especially kids, are apt towards instant gratification. Reaching for the nearest chocolate bar, video game controller, porno website, tab of E, easy way out, etc.

This is what makes a lot of athletes, especially student-athletes, more enlightened than a lot of folks.

[shogun rua]

Originally Posted by -evil-duerr-

missing out on what?


the "average kid" activities like videogames, toys, cartoons, field trips etc. could all be fit into the schedule of an athlete. They'd just have less time/energy to wine about being bored and asking for junk from their parents.

lol, ya

[rawb]

Originally Posted by shogun rua

BROKEn

LOL PWNT l

[miss.myra]

No, it is depriving and unethical for parents to feed their kids nothing but junk food and let them rot for hours and hours in front of the tv and never get exercise.

I was heavily involved in sports of all kinds as a kid, gymnastics, dance, track, softball, volleyball, etc. I used to train really intensely for running and do it at least 2 hours in the morning before school and a few days a week after. I think that all of those things were pretty awesome and kept me in check as a youngin, and I don't resent having to sacrifice a lot of 'fun' things to do them.

[shogun rua]

[shogun rua]

bizzump