psychological profile of swimmers

Originally posted by aquageek Ironic that the ADHD/ADD, etc kids that couldn't get out of WWII are commonly called the Greatest Generation whereas you seem to draw a totally different conclusion about the Vietnam era draftees. I am sure you already know this Geek (not trying to be condescending) but I will say it anyways...the conclusion is based upon the reasoning and accomplishments of the war, not on those who fought it. The men who fought in Vietnam were every bit as brave and noble as those who fought on WWII.

Perhaps the Geek is seeking to add to his world record for jumping to erroneous conclusions; in no sense did I imply that those who went to Vietnam were any less valorous than those that fought in any conflict. Go back to your original flippant post (or is this a redundancy?) asking where these kids were thirty years ago, then read my posting again; you may see my point which is very basic and seeking to answer your question (perhaps a mistake being sucked in at all).

RE: ADHD I was given "Driven to Distraction" in '98 or '99. It's presently in my office on my second bookself, second shelf right in the middle. Always planned to read it, always in the back of my mind, just haven't had time to do so. Sound familiar? Dorothy, Swimming is great for your child as this will help channel energy and focus. I'm just getting back to swimming so maybe I will be able to focus and read the above mentioned book. I believe ADHD is over medicated, it drains the creative spark out of the individual.

I don't beleive faux psychiatric disorders have any relevance to what type of swimmer you are.

Hopefully this does not cross the line of being overly political.... For the record, I don't think very much of any citizen who seeks to avoid serving his country when she calls. All too often people are willing to reap the benefits of living in a country as great as the United States but when push comes to shove and our leadership determines that we must act, many choose to run and hide. Freedom is not free.

Let's see, fat people, smokers, now people with supposedly faux disorders. Who else can you insult? May you never have to deal with ADHD in a child.

Back to the original topic...I was thinking about two well known sprinters and their personlities. One being Gary Hall Jr.. Anybody who wears boxing briefs and flexes in front of the crowd as a pre race show can't be very introverted. The other is Jason Lezak. From what I have seen he is more of an introvert than an extrovert. I don't think any meaningful tie can be made between distance specialty and personality. Reminds me of an example Dr. Dean Edell always uses to fend off cause and effect relationships. Most people who get into car accidents had eaten french fries just a few days prior to the accident. Cause and effect? You be the judge!:D

I used to smoke, btw. And, I ain't skinny. I think the over medication of children is a national disgrace. I don't deny there is ample evidence to support these alphabet soup disorders but I don't think it is as widespread as we see in schools today. Where were all these kids 30 years ago? And, I'll take my kids any way they come.

Actually ADHD inattentive is under diagnosed because these are the sweet dreamy kids who behave and disappear. Meds would help her(and actually anyone who takes them ADHD or not, our drug is caffeine), but she does not want them, so has to figure out other coping methods. It has not been easy. As far as 30 years ago, they were there, just put in the cloak room for misbehaving and expelled for their wild behaviour. They are the adults, who if they survived problems with addictions because they felt they were always bad, have trouble with organization and completing projects. We all know these people, and shake our heads at them. Also, in this journey with my daughter I have asked the question of is this forever? I was surprised at the answer. Her doctor says 1/3 completely outgrow it, 1/3 it becomes less severe, and 1/3 never outgrow it and continue to have issues. And while I do think that ADHD and LD(which she also has) is real, I know that there is an intolerence to high energy kids and the need to calm them down with meds, when they really are not necessary. I have sympathy for the teachers though. One thing we have worked to do is get my daughter to the front of the classroom, because the disruption is so great, she could not hear, and could not pay attention when stuck in the back. So the teachers are put in a really bad spot with having to teach in an enviroment where the misbehaviour is quite bad. 30 years ago we did not have this in our classrooms.

Originally posted by A.K. RE: ADHD I was given "Driven to Distraction" in '98 or '99. It's presently in my office on my second bookself, second shelf right in the middle. Always planned to read it, always in the back of my mind, just haven't had time to do so. Sound familiar? Dorothy, Swimming is great for your child as this will help channel energy and focus. I'm just getting back to swimming so maybe I will be able to focus and read the above mentioned book. I believe ADHD is over medicated, it drains the creative spark out of the individual. you should read it...I read it last fall. I also found a very funny, very good book aimed at teen girls that my daughter and I read together. Funny in swimming the coach was getting frustrated with her. She wanted her to lead the lane, but my daughter refused. It was because she could never remember what she was suppose to do. Her LD is visual, so she also was not good at reading a board, and is much better with verbal instruction. After I let the coach in on this, she put her 2nd in the lane and all was well.