This was in today's "Dear Abby" column in the paper:
DEAR ABBY: I am a 55-year-old female who competes in triathlons for fun, fitness and health. I consulted my doctor because I was having foot pain. When I told him I was a runner and was preparing for a marathon race, his response was, "At your age, you could hardly call it a race."
I was shocked. I repeated the insulting comment to my husband, who has never supported me in this nor attended my races. He replied, "Well, you don't actually consider yourself an athlete, do you?"
I am so offended that I want to dismiss both my doctor and my husband. I just finished a race with 5,000 women. Every one of them was fabulous and serious, no matter how old or what they looked like. It was the spirit of the sport that mattered. At what age does one stop being an athlete? -- OLDER ATHLETE, EUGENE, ORE.
This raised some interesting questions in my mind about support, encouragement, or the lack thereof. I don't want to discuss the "athlete-yes-or-no" question. Instead, I'd like to know how people out there deal with non-supportive spouses, friends, co-workers, doctors, etc.
My own experience includes being teased by my co-workers for "getting beat by a 70-year-old woman." (This was after a big meet where they viewed my results on the Internet.) This came from men who are at least 50 pounds overweight and can barely walk from their cars to their desks.
Wow, I was just reading through this thread randomly yesterday, happened to see an interesting post from back in the day... and now its up on the front page.
some responses....
I don't mind the female swimmer body. :joker:
and my parents are pretty supportive of my swimming, but if you ask my mom, she would prefer I spend less time at the pool so she can spend more time at home with me. Awwww...:groovy:
It seems that male swimmers don't mind the female swimmer body, but ask Joe Average and he's not a fan ... my coach used to keep telling me that the female swimmer body was the best so that I'd lift weights ...
Well thanks, but honestly I'm certainly not going to change who I am for some guy. If some guy doesn't like the muscles that go along with swimming then screw him! I am who I am ... I personally think it's much better than the anorexic she could be snapped in half by a strong breeze look, but that's me ...
As for the male swimmer body ... :woot:
Well thanks, but honestly I'm certainly not going to change who I am for some guy. If some guy doesn't like the muscles that go along with swimming then screw him! I am who I am ... I personally think it's much better than the anorexic she could be snapped in half by a strong breeze look, but that's me ...
As for the male swimmer body ... :woot:
Couldn't agree more baby sister!!! Didn't marry a swimmer, but ex-crew jocks (turned runners) have pretty nice bods too!! :woot:
I also think you're right about Joe Average or even some Joe non-swimming athletes. They just want arm candy, not a fellow athlete. Who wants to be mindless arm candy?! Besides, I'm sure those anorexic types can't swim fly. :laugh2:
Yes, we're content. :rofl:
I was more worried about my soon-to-be-teenage daughter.... And I'm also tired of hearing teenage boys call teenage girls on the swim team "mooses." Blech.
P.S. I really like that second quote in your signature line. LOL.
I think most of us can be content with not attracting the teenage boy group.
:rofl:
Think about yesterday's sex symbols Marilyn and Jane Russell (who still inspire today)etc. They would look enormous next to the pin ups of today.
Marilyn Monroe in her twenties would not have looked enormous compared to most Hollywood stars of today. No way.
By the way, I'm attracted to Kristina's avatar, but I'm not a teenager, either! :)
For real!? Mooses!? Wow! I've never heard that! Times have changed. Or perhaps it's geographical?
Is this a large group mentality in your area or just a couple of annoying boys?
Perhaps it's something that a big swat upside the head can't cure. . .
:joker:
Seriously though - I see your concerns. I have a feeling that if your daughters are anything like you are Fortress, said pimply, greasy, prepubescent boys will be put in their place with a witty remark!
:D
(S)he-man:
I don't think it's geographical, but who knows? There were swimmer hookups even in my day. And even in Islandsox's day. ;) I always dated swimmers until law school -- when there weren't any. :eek: Judging from my local summer team and the number of chaperones at USS travel meets, I think the swimmer-swimmer hormonal hook-up tradition marches on.
It's the non-swimmer boys that mock the shoulders, etc. And I have heard the word "moose" from more than one. But if they want "high maintenance barbies," as someone just referred to them privately, they can have them!
I think Rude Hormonal Fortress will do just fine. She even has long blond barbie hair to cover her broad shoulders, as you may recall from the time she was my avatar. (Whoops, she still is my avatar.) And she definitely makes me seem like a mild *** cat. :cool: That's why it's going to be a rough few years...
It seems that male swimmers don't mind the female swimmer body, but ask Joe Average and he's not a fan ... my coach used to keep telling me that the female swimmer body was the best so that I'd lift weights ...
Just remember...weak mean are frightened by strong women...
It's all perspective. All female atheletes have some muscle. ballet dancers have big muscly legs, soccer players...
Swimmers just show more of themselves due to the suits...you girls all rock!
My spouse is supportive of my swimming. I swam a lot when we first got married (not competetively, just for health) but I stopped and haven't been back for 5 years. Now that I'm back in the pool, I think she's glad because I have gained too much weight and that's not something a spouse feels comfortable saying outright. She maintains her weight by just not eating much. I love food and now that I'm 37, I can look at a potato chip and gain a pound.
Most of my friends seem to respect swimming as a sport that requires and enormous amount of strength. They will swoon when I tell them I swam 700 yards. For those who poopoo swimming, I chalk it up to ignorance. Classic example: When I was in high school, I was one of the top swimmers on our team. The school had trouble getting a coach for us one year and so they made a softball coach our coach out of desperation. Being it was his job and all, he did what he was told. Well, we ended up making up our own workouts for the first few weeks. The guy was clueless, but he had huge misconceptions about the sport. A guy who played football decided to join the team as a diver. This guy was huge, and ended up playing football in college and eventually for an arena league team. Anyway, at one practice, the coach made the statement that the football guy could wipe the floor with me in a sprint. There is no way this big football player can lose against me, a then 16 year old, 155 pound swimmer of 9 years, right? A couple of my teammates saw an opportunity and made a bet with the coach that I'd win easily. They knew better and so did I. It was a 50 free. I loafed it and beat him by 4 lengths. The coach was flabbergasted. Sometimes you just gotta show these non-believers in person.
