Originally Posted by
kv501
I am 31 years old, and if I decided today I wanted to be an Olympic sprinter I would fail; it's as simple as that. Science has shown us that thinking your ability becomes limitless by never quitting, sweating a lot and, "busting your butt" is bunk.
Technically true. But busting your ass and putting in the effort CAN propel you way beyond the abilities of casual participants in any sport. If you put in the effort and 20+ hours a week, you're simply going to be far better at ANYTHING than 99% of people who put in less than 2 hours a week at the same task.
Genetics becomes a very significant factor when you have a group of people who are all busting their asses. Quality of coaching and training is a huge one as well. And doing anything without a plan, even in single-participant sports, is just not going to cut it compared to those who study and implement sound training and racing strategies.
Also you see people who are awesome at the low levels of the sport but cannot rise higher. One possibility is that they have raw talent but don't put in the time or effort. But there are other answers, too.
tl;dr
I like the topic for a fine Friday afternoon, but I also doubt that the OP was passed by a would-be Lance Armstrong.
