Dara just one the national title in the 100M Freestyle in 54.4 at the ripe old age of 40. Simply Incredible. :applaud: :woot:
If that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
In the close up interviews at trials,I thought her skin was showing signs of being a swimmer in her 40's being out in the sun. Sun exposure will hasten that, and has no bearing on athletic aging.
No!!!
QUIET! GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN!
:p
:D
OK Thanks for the history lesson on Neanderthals and Dark Ages, Ripple. It's not everyday I get to go over elementary school history or Ab-Psy every day.
Just so we're clear, my comparison was in reference to being told my view was in the Dark Ages, which according to your post it was not. Perhaps Elise needs the dissertation? I used Neanderthal vs Dark Ages for a point of reference in time, not a social model. I could have used "Egyptian Old Kingdom, 3rd Dynasty" vs Edwardian. I don't want anyone to thnk I was ID'ing behaviours of 2 time periods to example a certain pattern. Come to think of it, how does anyone "KNOW" what happened in Neanderthal groups, there were no survivors! It's all theorised.
Please understand I'm very aware of eating disorders being a mental illness, but I feel there is an element of what comes first in some cases. Sure there will always be those who are chemically (I hate to say imbalanced) organised to have this issue. Much like those in society who crave an amputation of a limb to feel "normal." I don't want you to think I am blanketting any particular mental illness or behaviour pattern as being biological or sociological in it's origins. There are some that fall into each and others that are a hybrid. You may have a strong view on this as perhaps you suffer or know someone who does.
I see it like this: The epidemic of eating disorders range from starvation, binging, purging, overeating, or all of them, and affect many folks , not just women. Fragile minds (if anyone thinks their own mind is not fragile, pick up a text book on mental ilness; you may well be only 1 traumatic event away from having an issue) at key points of development like, the teen years at middle and high schools are highly suscetptible to their environment. Some messages they get can affect their self and world views. Media portrayal of women and what they ought to be is horrendous for the most part and has a large hand in many self esteem issues for women, not just eating disorders. Some folks will have eating disorders no matter what, and others will find the trigger being a traumatic event, or stem from social and media pressure that becomes a bigger problem.
Sorry for the seeming lecture but what I wrote before didn't deserve one either, I said wrote the words "societal influence" to show that I was talking about the "social" set up for mental issues.
Anyway, back to Dara!
I don't hink it's a big deal. I am pulling lifetime bests at 38 *cough 39 next week cough* it's no big deal to be faster than you were.
;)
There has been a lot in this "Dara" thread....
I agree that many public figures such as fashion models present unrealistically (and unhealthy) thin images of women. But obesity is a far larger and deadlier problem. Recent data says 30+% of Americans are obese. I found data that says there may be 10M women dealing with various eating disorders. That is a lot of women but far more are overweight. I don't suggest any less attention on eating disorders and healthy body images for girls and women.
I am concerned about the growing number of "it's ok to be fat" messages and movements today. Rosie O'Donnell and Cameon Mannheim are not good body images for young girls. A teenage girl shouldn't over-react if she's 5'5 and 140 - but she absolutely must act if she is 200 lbs.
And for Elise526 - I am almost 50. I do not believe for a second that women are less respected today than they were in the 50s. I don't think it means that people expect women to be like Dara or Oprah. There are many parts of the feminist community I disagree with but I am glad that women have the freedoms and choices that they do. I am far more interested in educated, active women like my wife. That doesn't mean they can't be stay at home moms, or schoolteachers. I don't think the Mayberry RFD lifestyle is something many Americans want. My mother, at 79 years old, is thrilled with what she can do today.
Swimstud - I owe you an apology as well. After I had already posted my thing about you being in the dark ages :argue:, I realized I misread your post. I think the points we both made, however, led to a good discussion. I agree with you on all of your points.
I'm not aging as well as Dara.
No apologies needed, dark ages is not a spiteful personal attack etc...
Regarding the different look of Dara's older pictures with the more recent ones, partly it could be the normal thinning of skin that everyone starts to get in middle age that makes her seem more defined now. I saw arecent photo of an actress who was a really big star in the 70s, still about the same weight as she was 30 years ago, but now sort of shriveled and dessicated looking due to that loss of skin thickness and thinning of the subcutaneous fat.
Forty-one seems awfully young to be getting such thin skin. I would agree that she obviously has lost a good bit of subcutaneous fat. I thought she looked great in 2000, but it does seem like her body fat it too low now.
It may have nothing to do with age but simply the fact that she has abnormally low body fat. Unfortunately, I've seen way to many young women with anorexia that have no subcutaneous fat. It definitely ages them and makes it look like they have thin skin.
Of course, each individual ages in his/her own way. If Dara has aged (the thin skin, etc.), how come she is swimming faster than she did at 20?
The usual response to the pictures of Dara here is "Oh, she looks great!" As if any given woman could look like that and still be physically and mentally healthy if she just tried hard enough. No freaking way.
Well, what percentage could conceivably look like that?
Gull's post is well put. The change in appearance is not dispositive, yet somewhat suspicious.
I thought wrinkles were more common in people who exercised very intensely? Look, she's 41, she's going to have some wrinkles. That can't be all that relevant to the doping question ...
The fact of the matter is that her appearance has changed. Is this a smoking gun, irrefutable evidence that she is juiced? Of course not. But it is not fair to say that our suspicions are based solely on the fact that what she has achieved has never been done before (on a par with, say, breaking 19 sec in the 50). That is a gross oversimplification. There are valid reasons to be skeptical. Her changed appearance is just one of many.
...Of course, each individual ages in his/her own way. If Dara has aged (the thin skin, etc.), how come she is swimming faster than she did at 20?
Skin is going to age no matter how firm and fit your body is. Trust me on this. (I'm nearly 50) Some people do show skin aging faster, especially if they had a lot of sun exposure.
