Athletes: Is this new era something we have never seen before? The Olympic motto is, “citius, altius, fortius,” which is latin for, “Faster, Higher Stronger”, and athletes have fulfilled this motto rapidly, with countless record breaking numbers in just the past decade. However, a recent debate has arisen with the question, “Are athletes really becoming bigger, stronger, faster, and better?” Many people don’t agree with this idea that athletes have revolutionized. However, it is evident the athletes have become better over the years. Athletes are becoming better because they have broken many records set by past athletes, they are becoming physically more efficient, and they are being pushed harder than ever by their coaches. Firstly, Athletes …show more content…
A recent study conducted by Tyler Cowen shows that since 1987, gymnasts average height has shrunk from 5’3” to 4’11” so they were able to be more efficient during their events (Cowen). Through this, one can see that gymnasts are becoming more efficient by becoming shorter to perform events better. Next, many people have seen that, “In the 1920s, the average elite high-jumper and average elite shot-putter were the same exact size. But as that idea started to fade away, as sports scientists and coaches realized that rather than the average body type, you want highly specialized bodies that fit into certain athletic niches, a form of artificial selection took place, a self-sorting for bodies that fit certain sports, and athletes’ bodies became more different from one another” (Cowen). As one can see, over the past century certain sports have certain body types so the athletes can be more efficient. Thirdly, In a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, “Bejan has shown that over the last 100 years elite swimmers have grown on average 4.5 inches, more than double that of the normal population (2 inches), while elite sprinters have shot up 6.4 inches. The height difference between Bolt and Eddie Tolan, the 5ft 6in record holder in 1929, is even more marked at 11 inches” (McVeigh). This shows that athletes have become more efficient because they are growing in size to become better at their individual sports.
What if you realized that your neighbor is a patient at your practicum site. You see her chart and are wondering why she always looks so tired all of the time. The chart is right there and no one is watching……………………………….
Olympic athletes try to break out humanity’s limit. For example, sprint racers train themselves to run faster and faster. Only a few
Proficient Athletes are the most gifted and most talented athletes on the planet. No one can do what they can do at the level that they play that game at. It is quite stunning, and a few people don't give a considerable measure of credit to a few players. For a player to wind up plainly an expert competitor it takes so much ability, assurance and duty that the world does not comprise of a great deal of expert competitors. Throughout the years, I have seen that hard working attitude inside the players has turned out to be essentially better.
Women gradually were overcoming disadvantages they had dealt with for years and years. Now that women could participate in sports and when they did they exceeded, higher expectations were slowly becoming a norm. Faster times were expected for women’s running events such as eleven to twelve seconds. Higher and longer heights were set for long jump, triple jump, and high jump. Long jump went from five feet to six feet three inches, triple jump went from thirty to thirty- four feet, and high jump went from four feet six inches to six feet. .Throwing further distances went from fifteen feet to thirty feet rapidly. These events became increasingly difficult due to women proving their physical ability more and
To conclude, athletes spend lots of time and dedication to their sport and should be rewarded for their efforts. Almost all athletes are more focused on sports than their
As years go by there are changes to be made. Technology is better and we become smarter. The past 10 years has changes greatly in a positive stand point and hopefully will change some more yet to come. To conclude all things, Athletic training is a career that has many routes to success. Although there are many qualifications they verify that you know what you are doing.
What many people fail to see in an athlete is the amount of talent in them, the commitment they have, the intense training they go through, and the competitive attitude they posses. The physical challenges they face and endure is astonishing. An average person works eight hours a day behind a desk with his computer. Imagine working the same number of hours everyday while training your abilities, maintaining your physical form, and sharpening your skills (Anonymous par. 4). That is what a professional athlete endures. Athletes face short career lengths. They also face a lot of competitiveness; therefore, an athlete is at the top of his game when he is still young. Professional athletes also face the risk of career ending injuries when they are fighting to win a game and be the best they can. Combining all those problems they face, the average career length of an athlete is five years (Keown par. 2). Not only do these athletes need to stay in shape, but they also have to perform well. But all the hard works leads to health issues such as lack of sleep, fatigue, and continuous tension (Wilson par.3). If they are not able to put up to the
Sports hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans all across the United States; however, there appears a lesser known and different side to sports. Many people discriminate against the African American race. They blame their own inabilities to perform in sports due to the African American race simply performing “better.” In a 1990 study conducted by the Copenhagen Muscle Research Center, the average Kenyan teenager could outrun approximately ninety percent of the global population. These claims and studies spark the curiosity of many. Why do they seem better? What causes these claims to occur? The acquisitions that the African American race has a clear advantage may actually have some truth. The authors who research the topic in question
Starting in the early 1900’s, the Olympics took the world by storm. It soon became the greatest test of athleticism and strength. One of the centerpieces of the Olympics, that is a true testament of athleticism and strength, is weightlifting. Not only does it measure strength but it also measures skill and brute force. Out of all the countries competing, China stands above all its competitors. The greatest Olympic weightlifters reside in China. Lü Xiaojun, an example of Chinese weightlifting domination, is a three-time world champion and the current Olympic and world holder of the snatch in the 77-kilogram weight class. Now, one might ask, how do the Chinese continue to prevail against all competitors in weightlifting? The answer is simple. The five philosophies of Chinese Olympic weightlifting.
Nevertheless, the struggle of an individual letting go of his or her athletic identity is a major component to that process, and has caused a significant amount of distress for many retiring athletes. Warriner and Lavallee (2008) indicated that the transition into retirement can become more complicated when athletes maintain an exclusive athletic identity, (i.e., they derive their personal identity exclusively from their athletic role). In other words, they only identify as athletes (Warriner & Lavallee 2008). Likewise, Stephan and Bilard (2003) suggested that athletes’ identity issues while entering retirement may be correlated to the physical changes associated with detachment from elite competition. Furthermore, Warriner and Lavallee (2008) stated that athletes may obtain their self-confidence from their perception of their physical appearance. For example, female gymnasts are required to maintain below-average size during their career. In addition, these athletes begin competition at a young age and have a strict diet and training regimen, which can delay puberty (Warriner & Lavallee 2008). Because female gymnasts tend to retire at a young age, usually before they reach puberty, it is not uncommon for them to gain an average of 40 to 50 pounds upon retirement (Russell-Mayhew, 2005). This excessive weight gain can be highly destructive to the athletes’ perception of their physical appearance. Again, physical appearance has been correlated with athletic identity issues during retirement, thus creating a multifaceted crisis for athletes upon beginning their retirement. However, it is important to highlight the association between an athlete’s physical appearance and self-confidence. If an athlete derives his or her self-confidence from physical appearance, then maintaining that appearance, when possible, may provide added confidence in obtaining a new career and identity. Specifically, it would
Every elite athlete makes it look easy. Splashing through the water or striding gracefully down the track making it look effortless. Some people assume they are “naturals,” that their perfect DNA sequence is what has brought them to this level. Others argue that hard work and drive is what has made the difference, separating the elite from the average. These thoughts are the ones that give rise to the age-old nature vs. nurture debate. Countless hours of studies and research has concluded: it’s both. High performance sports consultant Ross Tucker puts it this way, “The science of success is about the coming together of dozens, perhaps hundreds of factors” (1). The relationship of such factors, including genetics, types and lengths of
The American author and poet Maya Angelou once said, ¨Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.¨ Angelou conveys the true atrocity of prejudice with this statement, revealing it as an enemy of humanity. Harper Lee, another author of Angelou's period, also discusses prejudice in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee masterfully touches on such a difficult topic in her novel by displaying multiple events to readers, as well as the effects they have on the characters, through the eyes of a young girl named Scout Finch. Some instances of prejudice and discrimination present in the novel are Maycomb´s treatment of Arthur ¨Boo¨ Radley, Aunt Alexandra´s perception of Walter Cunningham, and the manner in which Tom Robinson's trial was handled.
To successfully understand what differentiates a professional athlete from an amateur athlete, and the issues that arise from it, we must understand how the International Olympic Committee defines a professional and amateur athlete. According to the “Eligibility Rules of the International Olympic Committee” published in 1964,
The history of sports has come a long way as it developed throughout the centuries. It was where the foundation of sports was created. For example, in the Rome the chariot races were held. Today they have changed, whether it is new things being added or rules being edit; its foundation remains the same. The changes also have to do with the progress of our generation because it has changed the way we think and behave in the past and in the future. The history of sports and physical education will never stop changing. The changes will never stop because current events and upcoming events will have an impact on the current standards of sports and physical education. It is how history is made, when changes are made and shifting the
Ancient Greece was a civilization that began during the archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries B.C. The Greeks were polytheistic in religion, worshipping the 12 Olympian gods and goddess. Zeus (Jupiter) was the chief god in charge, followed by his brother Poseidon (Neptune), and Hades (Pluto). Neptune and Pluto were then followed by Hestia (Vesta), Hera (Juno) who was both Jupiter’s sister and wife, Ares (Mars) who was the son of Jupiter and Juno, Athena (Minerva), Apollo, Aphrodite (Venus), Hermes (Mercury), depicted in Giacomo Amiconi’s painting “Mercury about to Slay Argus” above. Artemis (Diana) and lastly Hera’s son Hephaestus (Vulcan). These gods and goddess were not equal in power and also rained over different aspects of human lives as well as nature. The 12 Olympians were all the children of the titans who were defeated by Jupiter, who was famously known for caring a lightning bolt, but also for the many affairs he had outside of his marriage with Juno, who was both his wife and sister. In the Greek society, being looked upon favorably was essential for the family and community so despite the not so godly actions committee by the gods/goddess, they were still respected and worshipped.