devashish_paul wrote:
Optimal_Adrian wrote:
I think you encapsulated it pretty well there. I wonder how these types of efforts like AH-- an outsider or 'intruder' from another sport trying to take on very lofty goals-- are received in other sports? There are not many comparisons to make that are 1:1, Gwen moving from Tri to distance running seems to be the best fit, but even then there is strong overlap in skill set. Trying to come up with other examples, but something like Michael Jordan or Tim Tebow attempting pro baseball doesn't seem to fit compared to AH since there are hard gates and systems in place to determine skill level. Same with Usain Bolt making a possible go at a soccer career. I know many would not expect success from those athletes trying another sport, but there is also not likely the same personal investment between an intramural baseball or soccer participant and an amateur, but passionate, triathlete.
I think you nailed it. Practioners of any sport, be they pro or amateur or weekend warrior who are invested in their activity in general (and not just in triathlon) feel that those making the transition from another sport to theirs should go through the hoops of "approval".
As you mentioned Michael Jordan doing baseball (or should we say banished to baseball), or perhaps a better examples are athletes like John Elway (drafted in 2 sports, by the Yankees and Colts) or David Winfield who drafted in the MLB, NFL and NBA drafts. Winfield was actually drafted as a pitcher with the 4th overall pick by the Padres, but his hall of fame career was as a batter (>3000 hits, >1800 RBIs). Or Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders playing MLB and NFL. There is a gating system in other sports where people can claim to be "validated" by the other sport that they step across to.
Ashley, is stepping across sports, and "self validating" via social media.
If Tom Brady steps across and claims to be a better pitcher than Washington National's 2017 Cy Young Winner Max Scherzer, you can bet all kinds of people from the baseball world will be all over Brady. While Ashley is not claiming to be superior to Daniela Ryf, or Gwen Jorgenson, she's kind of implying that she can do way more than them and do deadlifts and squats along the way, and in effect putting the difficutly of the entire sport down.
So she's "self validating" while dismissing the level of difficulty of the sport she is stepping into...damn right people are going to call her on her self promotion.
She is dismissing the difficulties of the sport because she is ignorant/arrogant/uninformed etc. She did, what, 1 or 2 70.3 s and bunch of unconfirmed claims of spectacular accomplishments and then barges into Ironman. Her attempt does not threaten my IM accomplishments at all. What bothers me about her is her irresponsibility. Claiming IM is mind over matter and sharing it with half a million people is irresponsible. I would like to ask any of her followers to ride 180km and then ask them at, say, 70th km how is that mind over matter working out. I think she is also a personal trainer. Her claim that running uphill on a treadmill strengthens your quads for a bike is also irresponsible and should make here laughing stock in the personal training community.