Re: Why should you compete?

Paul Wood · Paul Wood on Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:41 am

How did you come to be walking round Hastings with Tony Hawk??

Steve Gardener · Steve Gardener on Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:07 pm

He stalked him ha ha. Very Happy

Chris McCarthy · Chris McCarthy on Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:01 pm

I believe that is what is called a subtle name drop. Very Happy

Twig · Twig on Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:42 pm

Not that subtle Laughing

Paul Wood wrote:How did you come to be walking round Hastings with Tony Hawk??

I was there for a Backyard Jam, Hastings is the BMX and Skater capital of Britain. I've got a mate that works for Seventies there and he gave me free tickets if I babysat some of the talent.
I've organised the security for some of the Jams as well, let me tell you, it's hard to watch the gates when Hoffman's pulling crazy air on a vert ramp!

Steve Gardener · Steve Gardener on Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:19 pm

I wanna see Twig on a skateboard!!

Lol999 · Lol999 on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:25 pm

"Twig didn't like his skateboard since another kid told him he was a Goofy. After that he stuck to his My Little Pony scooter Very Happy

"

Steve Gardener · Steve Gardener on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:27 pm

That does look like what I'd imagine a young Twig would look like (you knows I luvs yer really) LOL. Very Happy

Twig · Twig on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:33 pm

OK, I may be risking slight mocking at this point, but I know there's no malice here, so....here's how I got the nickname "Twig":

Steve Gardener · Steve Gardener on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:35 pm

Bugger me blind... Shocked

That's not how I had you figured back then (stone age yeah?? he he). Blimey we never even had to wear hats when I was at school.

In fact I think it's the hat. It's actually two yards across so that's why you look thin - and you do look thin wow!!

Twig · Twig on Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:38 pm

That was my first day of "big" school, I went to a public school, hence the cap.

When I went to swimming comps, my Mum would moan that all the other parents would think she didn't feed me, and ask why I never put on weight. My Uncle Stan (all 4'9" of him) told me I had to grow up big and strong, so I maintain, ladies and gentlemen, that I am this size cos I'm a good boy that did as he was told!

james_grahame · james_grahame on Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:33 pm

Love the picture. Very Happy

james_grahame · james_grahame on Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:19 am

Have been thumbing through some books as I pack them and found a few quotes relating to competitive lifting in 'Personal Best - How to train for the sport of strongman' by Julie Havelka

P505 Svend Karlsen

i love to train. I really do. i don't train to compete, i only compete to have a reason to train. i have been going to the gym over 20 years. It's just part of me. if i don't train for a week, i am miserable. a good training session makes my day

p514 Wade Gillingham

I think men who compete in this sport think it's some sort of badge of honor or something to beat themselves up. I guess I don't think that way - never have. if i don't get stronger at my weaknesses and get to the point that i can make it to WSM, i really don't care to destroy myself mentally and physically to never really achieve what i would like to in the sport. Training comes first in my book. and i truly love to train. competing is secondary. with this sport it scares me to think about how badly I could injure myself, not because i am afraid of injury, but because i am afraid of losing the ability to train for the rest of my life

p502 Mike Barney

the contest is only one day. you should spend the rest of your life training to be your best

And completey opposite end of the spectrum

I came across this in 'Practical Programming for Strenth training' by Rippetoe and Kilgore and I think it is a pretty good synopsis of the competitive mindset towards injury. Thought I would share it.

All athletes who train hard enough to compete will get injured. This is the sorry truth of the matter, and anyone who is dissuaded from competition by this fact would not have made a good competitor anyway. Progress involves hard training, and hard training eventually involves pushing past previous barriers to new levels of performance. In the sense that this can cause
injury, succesful competitive athletics is dangerous. It is a danger that can and must be managed, but it is important to recognise that athletes get hurt. if they want to continue to be athletes afterwards, it is equally important to understand how to manage and rehabilitate injuries successfully so that they don't end a career."

David Horne · David Horne on Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:34 am

Some very good points there, and yes although I love competing (I think mostly due to the time away and meeting people), I also LOVE to train, and hopefully will to my last day.