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Nah better to set realistic dreams. Take up cycling at 23 and are willing to train hard? Aim to get round a prem or a divs medal. The great thing about competitive (cycle) sport is that you don't have to be the best to get something out of it.
A 23 years old can understand his limitation quite well (hopefully). But what if you say that to a 10/12 years old? I think that you would fuck him up for life
Got any examples in endurance sports? (genuinely interested)
How well versed are you with rowing?
A kiwi named Hamish Bond (even tried to transition to cycling) as a junior/u19 had mediocre physiological parameters. Flash forward 10/12 years and between 2009 and 2016 never lost a race (bagged two olympic golds in the process), solely by outworking everyone else.Still regarding rowing, I remember reading somewhere of an italian who as a 15 y.o. was told by his then coach that he didn't have nor the height or the wingspan to "make it"
To this day he has a couple of world championships wins and two olympic bronze (iirc)
Whopper-
solely by outworking everyone else
A great example until this editorial. From this one article it looks like to me he didn't 'fill out' until he left school. However already he had amazing results for his region. "Based in Cambridge since 2006, he believes the quaint town offers "the most centralised rowing system in the world".
I take this as preternatually gifted youngster blooms late developing developing the muscle mass required, then goes to one of the best place in the entire world to become a winning rower. His ancedotal evidence ('I worked the hardest') of how hard all rowers work compared to how hard he worked is spurious at best, delusional at worst.
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had mediocre physiological parameters.
Doesn't mean he didn't have the genetics to support improving them though.
You don't break rowing world records without being born a freak, whether you know it or not.
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told by his then coach that he didn't have nor the height or the wingspan to "make it"
Coaches can't see genetics and preconceived notions of physical traits required to win are what hampers some coaches. Compare Anna Meares with UK's Victoria Pendleton. If you put Pendleton in front of a sprint coach in the 90s they'd have fucking laughed her out of the building. Turns out you can be really successful without being able to deadlift a bus.
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Hamish Bond was a late developer. To say he just worked hard than anyone else is just bonkers and an insult to the other rowers.
EDIT what YAL said innit.
youramericanlover
hippy
leggy_blonde
Nah better to set realistic dreams. Take up cycling at 23 and are willing to train hard? Aim to get round a prem or a divs medal. The great thing about competitive (cycle) sport is that you don't have to be the best to get something out of it.
Got any examples in endurance sports? (genuinely interested)