Golfers are Athletes?
 

Not sure what to think.

Lance Armstrong, 7 time Tour de France winner. A race of over 2000 miles, considered the most grueling physical event on the Planet, done by a man who was as good as dead from cancer, with tumors throughout all his internal organs and brain, doing more for cancer research probably more than any one single person ever, and he gets bumped by a golfer?

:huh

Up next; Bowling

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I know! But Lance didnt earn a billion dollars.

Its all about the Benjamins

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I think part of it may be that this is a list from an American perspective. I'm not the biggest golf fan in the world, but I think that golf is infinitely more popular in America than competetive biking. That's not to take anything from Lance's achievements in his chosen sport. I think the fact that he was second is a testament to how he as an individual has transcended his sport in America.
If you take Lance off the table, the average American would be hard-pressed to name three active professional bikers. I think that affects things like this.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Greg LeMond
Levi Leipheimer
Tyler Hamilton

and just to toss in some extra

George Hancapie

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Stew said average American, Ferd. And we know you are not average. :D

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

...


Floyd Landis!

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

So true. Money talks.

Still can't figure though, how golf ties into this. I've played golf many times in past years, and the sport can be accomplished by those who don't stick to personal fitness.

Not saying golfers aren't fit, but the point is, you don't win the Tour UNLESS you're fit.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Even though I'm a cyclist, this isn't really about cycling too me. It's about being the Athlete of the Decade. This is prestigous, and personally, I think the person selected should be unsurpassed in physical ability and endurance.

I just don't see golf as the type of sport that resembles the extremes great athletes endure, even though I know it's tuff to hit the little white ball out of a sand trap.

Again, this is just my opinion. :santathumb

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I know what you are saying. I also know plenty of golfers who do not seem like an athelete to me. That having been said, golf has been defined as a sport for better or worse and its participants as atheletes. Given that, in my opinion the award is basically for the most celebrated person in the recognized sports world. There are probably quite a few atheletes that could make a case...Lance would certainly be among them.
Obviously, the guys in the individual sports have an advantage...and the bigger the sport, the bigger the advantage.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

LOL.. I said "active" for a reason. I was talking about current professional bikers. I consider myself a sports fan, but I'm sure I would have to google a list of 3 active bikers. Of course I've heard of Lemond and Hamilton. Leipheimer I would not recognize anywhere.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Anyone can ride a bicycle, even my 6 year old granddaughter. :jolly

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

2000 Miles at an average speed of 25 MPH? :statbike:

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

If you really want to talk athletes, then we've got to talk Triathletes and long course (Ironman) triathletes to boot. Less than 1% of the population even attempts it. Lance may be a GREAT cyclist, (the greatest) but couldn't hold a candle to triathletes. He'd smoke 'em on the bike course, but that's it!

Tiger a great athlete? Great golfer.....YES! Great althlete....NO!

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Just in case you didn't know (I'm a Lance Armstrong fan, BTW), Lance's career not only began with Tri Athlons, he won them. Here's a quick blirp of his BIO;

In the 1987–1988 Tri-Fed/Texas ("Tri-Fed" was the former name of USA Triathlon), Armstrong was the number one ranked triathlete in the 19-and-under group; second place was Chann McRae, who became a US Postal Service cycling teammate and the 2002 USPRO national champion. Armstrong's points total for 1987 as an amateur was better than the five professionals ranked that year. At 16, Armstrong became a professional triathlete and became national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990 at 18 and 19, respectively.

Lance's Book, "It's Not About the Bike" is a must read for those interested in the comeback of the Century.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I agree.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Awesome! Something I didn't know. However, "sprints" are a different animal than the "long" courses. In all fairness, though, if he can pull off 2000mi/25mph, he has the endurance....at least for the bike. I am also a member of USA Triathlon. Do you Tri? :D

I used to be an Armstrong fan too until he destroyed his family. Has the drive to be 7 time champ but not to be a champion Dad or Husband. So sad. Lost my respect. The world is crying out for real champions. Champions on and off their field of battle. Give me a champion who stays married to his sweetheart and doesn't fool around. I'll cheer him/her on more than the person whose athletic accomplishment is seemingly their "god" or at least has more control than anything else. :D

Can anyone tell that I think that keeping your marriage vows is a BIG deal no matter who you are?

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Enough of this trashing of my favorite hobby sport! :jolly

With my bad knees and increasing slower reaction and movements, golf is the only sport that I can enjoy at my age. Back in the day, I was very active in softball, tennis, racquetball and touch football.

That being said, golf is very much a sport, but it uses different muscle memory and skills than most other sports. The game is impossible to perfect, as it requires concentration, perfect muscle memory, and pure skill. If you don't believe me, try it sometime! :)

As a golfer, I really appreciate the level of skill that pro golfers like Tiger Woods reach.

BTW, Tiger Woods stays in great shape by lifting weights regularly.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

So MANY things I want to say................:christmoose

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I'm not going there. I have aborted about 3 replais because I don't want to go there....

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

:christmasjig

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Why am I NOT a golfer? It's too slow. I can't get my heart rate up. It does nothing for my aerobic capacity and certainly not my anaerobic capacity! I don't need to relax, so golf doesn't do it for me. Tiger might kick my butt with the little white ball, but in a Triathlon, he doesn't even remotely have a chance and I've got at least 20yrs on him! LOL

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

anyone who does not understand the athletic ability it takes to hit and control a golf ball, is goofy, lol

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I do not watch sports much at all, actually never. lol. But I have heard enough that, aside from all the jokes and media hype lately, Tiger Woods is a flat-out awesome athlete in any sport. He does a heavy intense work out regularly.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

You do have a good point there!!:santathumb

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

what is amazing about tiger, great physical condition and all, is his focus and concentration, that is the diff between being a good goofer, and a great goofer, goof is what my wife calls golf, lol

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

He DOES have great focus and concentration. Just too bad it couldn't have been on his family as well. That is what is so sad. Had the ability, chose not to. :D

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Golf is a game.

Just wait, in a few weeks, we will hear that Tiger keeps in shape using Human Growth Hormones.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

that would be funny if he did, cause they are useless to him, really, you either have it in golf or you dont, tigers big problem is he had two personas, his public one which was a fake, and his private, frat boy, whick was real, his kids are the ones that will be hurt by his behavior, i feel bad for them, dt

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

His book reveals that he would win Tri's without even training. Lance is gifted in the area of VO2 Max. I'm sure you know something about this anaerobic threshold measurement. His ability to process oxygen is way above normal, and thus avoids lactic burn in muscles in dire need of oxygenated blood when under stress.

Had he continued with Tri's, no one doubts he would have succeeded. Cycling became his preference, which in turn made him a Legend.

I understand your concern about his moral integrity. I'm concerned as well. But, as with all people in the Spotlight, we can focus on the gore without knowing the real facts behind what happened. Here are some quotes by the two:

Kristin: Marriage problems were "brought on gradually by a number of pressures, rather than one big blow-up. We've been together 4 1/2 years, and we've had six homes, three languages, three countries, one cancer comeback, three children, four Tour de France wins and one rise to celebrity. You're not supposed to cram such a huge amount of events into such a small period of time." 2/2003.

Lance: "The craziest thing is, we're [Lance and Kristin] closer now and better friends than ever before. We're truly committed to maintaining a good relationship, but not a marriage." 9/2003

As we know in Religion, we have our share of gore and drama. Somewhere in the midst of how we see people, mercy might be in order. Nowhere did I find where Lance was "Fooling around" on his wife. On the other hand, Tiger has been with numerous women while he's been married.

I don't want to justify Lance's divorce, but as you and I know with Pastoring people, problem marriages have filled our churches beyond what we've ever dreamed. I've learned to hate divorce, but love people, a hard combination. I've been married 29 years to the love of my life, and it breaks my heart when people can't work things out.

I think all of us get our hands dirty when admiring anyone who might be a professional. If we have a direct liking to a specific sport, there's probably no way to avoid that.

I don't Tri because of mainly the running. I have Spinal Stenosis, and this hard impact exercise aggravates my back. I do train on my bike with an Ironman. In fact, my partner just got back from Arizona where he did the Ironman.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I read many years ago about Lance's VO2 max and at the time they were saying that they hadn't seen anyone with his lactic acid aversion ability. I think mine is the opposite of his! I can go long aerobic but I can't go long anaerobic. Which means I probably won't set any records in my Ironman attempt (except mine since this is the first) but my goal is to finish in 15hrs or less.

Did your friend work with Endurance Nation? :D

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I just got off the phone with him. No, he doesn't. He's very self motivated and doesn't have a coach, per se. We do train together weekly, so I guess you might consider that his dose of getting "Pushed". And trust me, we push each other. He's trying to get me into the pool, which I'm a pretty good swimmer.

Him and I did a 50 miler a few weeks back, with an average speed of over 22 MPH. This was in the dark, wind, and cold tempatures.

Here is his Ironman Web site link;

http://www.moorefurniture.net/Ironman.htm

Good luck on your training. Hope this gives you a little motivation.

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

I know one wife of a golfer that should be considered an athlete, she did a whippin on her cheatin husband... The Lioness bit the Tiger...

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

ManOfWord,

Here is another link that may fire you up........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxvEo...layer_embedded

Re: Golfers are Athletes?
 

Yeah, and the Tiger turned into a Cheeta............