tetonrider

when i come across those posts of yours, i just generally attribute them to you being you (meaning the online persona you've cultivated, at least; not sure to what degree it really reflects your personality).

i don't generally feel the need to engage you at that level; it is easier to move on. i'm simply saying that the way i read threads (most of the time it is a page or 3 at a time) that happen to include your posts, i often see you say one thing, then retreat behind an excuse that amounts to 'i wasn't serious' or 'you got it wrong'. if you were a dumb guy, i'd believe you didn't know exactly what you were doing.

like i said before, i think it is probably the way you express things. unlike when others do so, when you are being 'devil's advocate' it tends to come across to me (whether you agree or not) as dismissive of others' accomplishments/goals (sometimes) or a gratuitous argument on the position (others). this may come as a shock to you as you seem to regard yourself as someone who is very tolerant of others' differences -- it rarely if ever reads that way to me in the way you express your counterpoints.




^^^ since it happens to be one post above, i guess i'll use this as an example.

well, i'm not sure there is ever an endgame in life (other than death), professional or not. win the TdF? go win another. one might argue that winning at nationals is an endgame -- it is an achievement at the top level -- but of course there is always more. i'm not sure amateur athletics need and endgame to be life-changing. the process is pretty life-changing.

i suspect for someone that has the drive, the ability and the willingness to make the necessary sacrifices -- probably over many years -- that it takes to win at nationals or a similar level (even if it is at the amateur level), it IS life-changing. not winning does not preclude someone from having life-changing experiences, too.

maybe the very fact that it IS amateur sport makes it more meaningful: these people (people on this forum) have jobs, kids, pets, other hobbies, and still fit sport into it, and at the highest level of amateur sport at that. the masters athletes i know (a few national champs, included) are often extremely interesting individuals. once it becomes professional, it's a job and possibly even more one-dimensional.

perhaps it would be better to hear from someone who competes at the top amateur level as to whether that experience changes their lives rather than from someone who doesn't yet race at that level?

given that:
i think you can wild for a few hours with your broad blanket statements that are just on this page. here are just a few. have fun!