Ultralife
West Coast, USA
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Really kinda sad that the Chinese are farm raising their athletes.
This is not a political statement, more a comment on quality of life.
* This post was
edited 08/15/08 12:51pm by an administrator/moderator *
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Bearnkat
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Yep, NBC did a segment on them and I couldn't believe it. They take the children away from their parents at around 3 years old and they only get to see their parents maybe once or twice a year. 
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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Its so hard to tell but some of the girls don't look a bit over 12 or 13 years old. There facial features and body build is just that of a child.
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Beacher
Long Beach, CA
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There are currently over 50 or so members of the 2008 U.S.A. Olympic team from Southern California in Beijing right now. Some of the athletes live among us. Heck, Home Depot even employs some team members locally while they are living and training, (and uses the publicity)! I have grown up and attended school with a few past Team U.S.A. members, and many others around here have too. The common comment is that "yeah, we knew them but they never could do anything with the rest of us"!
The kids that make it to the Olympics are not raised like "normal" kids, even in the U.S.A. They are typically driven, (er...."supported"), by their highly competitive Type-A parents, coaches, and financial benefactors to reach the goal. From a very young age most of them have extremely regimented lives with very little or no social activities outside of their preparation to get them to the Olympics. Their social life, diet, and of course their training is all controlled and regimented.
In non-communist countries it's not a farm system, it's called "competitive spirit"! The similarities and end results are what we are watching on television.
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racefan1965
Redding, Ca.
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Ultralife wrote:Really kinda sad that the Chinese are farm raising their athletes.
This is not a political statement, more a comment on quality of life.
Well what ever they are doing it's working. They have almost twice as many golds as we do.
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javaseuf
California's Gold Coast
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Beacher wrote:There are currently over 50 or so members of the 2008 U.S.A. Olympic team from Southern California in Beijing right now. Some of the athletes live among us. Heck, Home Depot even employs some team members locally while they are living and training, (and uses the publicity)! I have grown up and attended school with a few past Team U.S.A. members, and many others around here have too. The common comment is that "yeah, we knew them but they never could do anything with the rest of us"!
The kids that make it to the Olympics are not raised like "normal" kids, even in the U.S.A. They are typically driven, (er...."supported"), by their highly competitive Type-A parents, coaches, and financial benefactors to reach the goal. From a very young age most of them have extremely regimented lives with very little or no social activities outside of their preparation to get them to the Olympics. Their social life, diet, and of course their training is all controlled and regimented.
In non-communist countries it's not a farm system, it's called "competitive spirit"! The similarities and end results are what we are watching on television.
Well, I'll have to take issue with these comments since you have encompassed all of our athletes with your opening sentance and with the word "typical".
I can qualify myself as somewhat informed on this very subject since my sister was a Bronze medal winner in 3-meter diving at the 1984 Olympics. Over the many years she was in the sport, I met many, many athletes in diving as well as other sports. I personally know Greg Louganis and all of his coaches as well as many of the other divers and parents as well. I can say that the "controlled and regimented" lives you speak of was the exception back then and not "typical".
Typically, it is the athletes that commit themselves to the sport they have chosen and the athletes that decide if their chosen sport is their life and how it will affect their social lives and NOT the parents that you describe.
My sister had a very active social life with many of her peers and my parents supported her and didn't "drive" her. This was how it was from the time that she entered the sport at age 12 to when she was on the 1980 and 1984 Olympic team. She is the one that "controlled" her own life and no-one else.
And may be things have changed since 1984 but back then, there were no financial benefactors.
And, if an athlete truely wants to excell in the sport they have chosen, then yes, it sometimes IS their entire life which is their choice. No different than an adult that wants to excell as a musician, or like someone that wants to be the best in their business.
It's called dedication.
To compare what China does, to the athletes in the USA is like comparing apples to oranges.
* This post was
edited 08/15/08 05:48pm by javaseuf *
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Beacher
Long Beach, CA
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javaseuf wrote:....
Typically, it is the athletes that commit themselves to the sport they have chosen and the athletes that decide if their chosen sport is their life and how it will affect their social lives and NOT the parents that you describe...
Steve,
I'm glad that someone with personal experience responded! Have you ever heard of the Stockholm syndrome? Chances are that you are too close to the daily living situation of olympic class athletes to appreciate any abnormality to it.
From the perspective of your own neighbors or classmates your lives appeared regimented and controlled. Not "farm raised", but not quite the same as every one else.
There is virtually no way that any pre-teen can accomplish world class levels of excellence all on their own, no matter what their natural ability is. If they live in a poor neighborhood, or do not have access to lessons or coaches, they will never be seen, nor will they compete, especially at world class levels. Coaches and parents notice and acknowledge the ability, then they step in to make sure the child is given the opportunity to reach the goal. The children may not be aware of all the regimentation and control that they must live with, because it's all they know. And they participate willingly and freely.
But it's definitely not the same life led by neighbors and classmates not on the path to Olympic competition.
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ol Bombero-JC
USA
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Javasaeuf -
Don't have any relatives with medals - but I *DO* live in Mission Viejo, CA. (since '71).
What you didn't say about that era, was the MV Nadadores had many swimming & diving "hopefuls" who moved away from home to live with sponsor families here - -
sometimes the entire family relocated due to the coach & program.
As "we" know, the program was very successful (and still is).
Yes, it sure IS dedication - but not exactly like making it to the NFL by way of
a start at the local HS.
JC
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Doug4.7
Hartselle, AL, USA
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I remember taking about how the Soviet athletes were "farm raised" (or something like that) back in the day. I remember reading how the Iraqi leader treated his losing soccer players. Same 'ol thing, second (or third, or fourth...) verse. Some countries will do almost anything to get Olympic gold.
* This post was
edited 08/19/08 10:20am by Doug4.7 *
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