Your comments on this comment

[funkyboogalooo]

So I was watching the rowing yesterday on BBC1 and John Inverdale was talking. He said something along the lines of (can't remember the exact phrasing)
"for those of you that have normal jobs you can't begin to realise how hard these guys work"
Now from my point of view I thought you cheeky fker, you might have a nice number jetting all over the world and talking but lots of people work real hard to earn a living.
What say you?

[Jasandjules]

I think as a commentator he will talk sh&£e as a rule.

[Muncher]

I think it's a fair enough comment. Look at someone like Michael Phelps, apparently he swims for 6 hours a day and has 6 meals a day consuming 12,000 calories. He's admitted all he does is eat, sleep and swim, that's a 24 hour job, his job is his life.

[funkyboogalooo]

good point and well made

[speedy_thrills]

funkyboogalooo said:

What say you?

Turn off the television and find something productive to do .

Of course working for the BBC he would know all about hard work .

[siscar]

He actually said 'those of us with normal jobs' and it was immediately pointed out to him that he doesn't have a normal job.

I work hard - leave the house at 6.30am most days and get home about 8.00pm but it's a different sort of working hard than the stuff you need to do to win a gold medal.

[Lordbenny]

I know one thing, I have never worked as hard & put the time, effort & determiation into any job I have had compared to a swimmer, rower, distance runner etc.

Clay pigeon shooting & archery may be at least a couple of exceptions!

[_ian_]

I think he's talking about the physical aspect of Rowing, which is true.

[fido]

It's pointless trying to compare physical work to other types of work [i.e. mental]. I don't think Michael Phelps would last an hour in my job, nor many of the professionals on PH. But he deserves his medals, and the glamour of it all .. so he shouldn't complain.

Edited by fido on Sunday 17th August 10:01

[voyds9]

I admire the effort and dedication it requires to become an Olympic athlete, however, as they don't have a 'real' job they are only vaguely amateur.

[Hollywood Wheels]

I was watching that, and it wound me up a treat too. They are there through choice, I have to work to pay the mortgage. I do appreciate that they work hard but it is their choice.
Was amazed at the women rowers earlier. They prove that they are the second best rowers on this planet, yet wouldn't even talk, too busy crying and looking devastated, miserable cows. I don't have a competitive streak myself, so maybe I just don't understand these sorts of things.....

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Hollywood Wheels said:

I was watching that, and it wound me up a treat too. They are there through choice, I have to work to pay the mortgage. I do appreciate that they work hard but it is their choice.
Was amazed at the women rowers earlier. They prove that they are the second best rowers on this planet, yet wouldn't even talk, too busy crying and looking devastated, miserable cows. I don't have a competitive streak myself, so maybe I just don't understand these sorts of things.....

The clue is in your post - second best.

If you go out there to win the gold and come back with the silver, it's a major disappointment.

[siscar]

Hollywood Wheels said:

I was watching that, and it wound me up a treat too. They are there through choice, I have to work to pay the mortgage. I do appreciate that they work hard but it is their choice.
Was amazed at the women rowers earlier. They prove that they are the second best rowers on this planet, yet wouldn't even talk, too busy crying and looking devastated, miserable cows. I don't have a competitive streak myself, so maybe I just don't understand these sorts of things.....

No clearly you don't. These people are there through choice in that it is their choice of career, they need money to pay the mortgage as well, they get that from sponsorship and grants if they are lucky. Winning gold is everything, silver is the first loser and nobody wants to lose. One of the great things about these games is seeing British competitors for whom only winning is good enough.

[Hollywood Wheels]

You see, I obviously don't get it. Is that what you tell your kids when they're enjoying playing a sport, that winning is all that matters and nothing else counts? It's not worth participating in anything if you're not the best then?

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Hollywood Wheels said:

You see, I obviously don't get it. Is that what you tell your kids when they're enjoying playing a sport, that winning is all that matters and nothing else counts? It's not worth participating in anything if you're not the best then?

There is a big difference between playing sport for fun and it being your career.

I used to play rugby, hockey and run for my county - mostly it was for fun, but, at the national championships, when representing your county, you are there to win. Anything less is failure.

Once you get to a certain level in any sport, it is no longer about the pleasure of taking part, it's about being the best.

If you've given up your job, most of your family life and put your home on the line in order to reach the Olympics, what, exactly, is wrong in being bitterly disappointed that you came back with a silver, rather than gold?

[ewenm]

Hollywood Wheels said:

You see, I obviously don't get it. Is that what you tell your kids when they're enjoying playing a sport, that winning is all that matters and nothing else counts? It's not worth participating in anything if you're not the best then?

There's a difference between participating in a sport and trying to be the best in the world at a sport. When the Olympics/World Champs get down to the finals and medals, you need to be utterly focused on winning, on being the best you can be. That isn't usually a very "nice" attitude, sometimes it comes across as arrogant, but it's what you need to believe to succeed. To put in 4 years of focused work, sacrificing a social life, relationships, "normal" life with the sole aim of being the best in 6 minutes of effort one day in August in Beijing (using the rowers as an example) and then to come second can be hugely disappointing.

What you'll find is that the initial reaction is disappointment - it's a hugely emotional moment. Give it a few days and they'll rationalise it and take the positives out of the experience, analyse the negatives, work out where it went wrong, what to work on for next time.

Of course the reaction can be different if the aim was to make it to the final. It's all about what the goals are and how you perform compared to those goals. For one team, making the final could be a huge achievement, for others taking the silver medal could be a huge disappointment.

[siscar]

Hollywood Wheels said:

You see, I obviously don't get it. Is that what you tell your kids when they're enjoying playing a sport, that winning is all that matters and nothing else counts? It's not worth participating in anything if you're not the best then?

There's a big difference between kids kicking a ball around and a team going for gold at the Olympics and not getting it. Doing something for fun is fine, but as soon as you get involved in competitive sport then winning is what it is all about and if you don't care about winning you aren't going to be very good.

[superviggen]

commentators are just that - commentators - it doesnt mean that what they say has any truth or real thought put in to it - just like all us on here!

[james7]

Muncher said:

I think it's a fair enough comment. Look at someone like Michael Phelps, apparently he swims for 6 hours a day and has 6 meals a day consuming 12,000 calories. He's admitted all he does is eat, sleep and swim, that's a 24 hour job, his job is his life.

Sounds very much like the sort of holiday a lot of people enjoy

[elster]

Especially as the rowers. After a heavy night out on the lash they will get up at 5 for a 10k run before they start training.

Not many people would manage that

and if you worked as hard as the medal winners did. That means in your job you are one of the best 3 in the world. Not many people could say that.

Edited by elster on Sunday 17th August 14:23