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pianomahnn
Sep 28, 2001, 2:42 AM
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Well, I was quite taken aback tonight when in a forum I frequent, someone compared rock climbing to cheerleading. Stating it's not a sport, and he played real manly sports like rugby.
I was pissed.
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kriso9tails
Sep 28, 2001, 3:28 AM
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Cheerleading is a sport... but I'm not sure about climbing:) I fail to see how rugby is more manly... does anyone else think it is?
I would lable climbing and mountaineering in general a sport. What else would you call it? I think that people are reluctant to call it a sport because it isn't a team sport or a sport of direct competition, but that doesn't make much sense. If climbing isn't, than neither are swimming, speed skating, down hill skiiing as well as many many others which I am too lazy to list.
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kagunkie
Sep 28, 2001, 3:51 AM
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I can easily concider climbing as a sport in the same way as hunting, fishing, kite flying, frisbee or hiking may be concidered as a sport, beyond that Id rather not hear it referred to as a sport. This I believe is just another marketing tool used to exploit climbing and is actually harmfull to it. To me climbing is more of a craft, dicipline and activity more than a full blown sport. The word sport implies competition where there are "winners" and "loosers" Id rather not see climbing reduced to a world of "champions" created by comercialized competitions. This reduces it to nothing more than another revenue machine for the benefit of a few. Climbing is a personal journey and to sell it to the highest bidder just doesnt seem to create any good karma in my opinion and in climbing you need all the good karma you can get.
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pianomahnn
Sep 28, 2001, 4:08 AM
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I was mainly pissed that it was compared to cheerleading.
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jds100
Sep 28, 2001, 4:36 AM
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I think I'd be pissed if anything was compared to cheerleading.
I think some people think of "sport" as referring to a physically athletic activity, and also implies that it is goal-oriented as well, which climbing surely is.
I don't get it with cheerleading. My apologies are hereby offered to cheerleaders and their families and friends. Same with competitive aerobics. Competitive aerobics!?! Sorry. I don't get it.
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jer
Sep 28, 2001, 4:47 AM
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"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor-racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games." - Ernest Hemingway
Sport(noun)
1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure
-Personally , I think climbing is a "lifestyle". Other than God; no other thing has shaped my outlook, my confidence and attitude than the time spent facing my own fears, doubts and opinions in the mountains- away from the world. Is it a sport? Yes- I engage in it for pleasure. Is it a game? Well; it plays games with my head fer sure. Is it a way of life? Definitely ; without a doubt. Is cheerleading a way of life? I doubt it.
jer
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climberchk
Sep 28, 2001, 6:10 AM
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Hey, I'm a cheerleader!!! It takes a lot of hard work and practice. It's actually the most dangerous SPORT in high school. You have to memorize so many dances, learn tons of cheers, you ge thrown up like 7+ feet into the air only to fall into 2 peoples arms (or the ground, believe me, it hurts). It takes a lot to be a cheerleader. It makes me mad that you would say things like that. It's not as easy as it seems. Jds 100 its kind of pointless to say you're sorry, why didn't you just not say it in the first place? Jar to some of my friends it is a way of life, before I climbed, it was a way of life to me. Pianomahnn It's harder than you think. And I am deeply offended by all of your guys's comments.
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wandt
Sep 28, 2001, 8:57 AM
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Yes!!!
I have nothing but the utmost respect for cheerleaders! Have you seen those guys?!?! They're monsters!! I defy ANY male on this site to hold his girlfriend up, over his head, with his arm FULLY extended. Oh yes... she must be STANDING on your hand.
Note that "arm" and "hand" are singular. Yes. You must do this one handed.
It's like ballet- extreme strength and body tension/control are necessary. In that aspect, it is much like climbing.
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coach
Sep 28, 2001, 1:12 PM
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Why is everyone putting down other peoples thing. If cheerleading is your thing, or skiing or playing chess, go for it and to hell with what others think about it. I like climbing. I think I'll go climb.
climb On
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ontherocks
Sep 28, 2001, 1:59 PM
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For me it's not a sport, it can be for other people (sport climbers?), but not for me. It's more of an experience, but I don't really feel the necessity to put a label to it.
There are things in life that you need to experience to really understand, otherwise you don't have a clue of what you are talking about.
It is bullfighting a sport? It's sex a sport? It's giving birth a sport? It's fighting a war a sport? Come on!
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talons05
Sep 28, 2001, 2:18 PM
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I have played rugby and it is in no way more "manly" in fact, I think it takes bigger brassies to dangle from a thin cord attached to some pieces of metal 300 feet off the ground. That guy would probably pee his pants. Anyways. As for that dude, he's probably never climbed in his life. Whatever.
AW
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jer
Sep 28, 2001, 2:58 PM
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climber chk-
check it out-I won't change my opinion; but I will explain it ...hopefully. I wasn't looking to put down cheerleading; I was pointing out that it can't be a way of life, because within the discipline of cheerleading; it has a short life. Once you finish highschool; maybe you'll cheer in college. From there; if you are very good- you can become one of two things- a professional cheerleader for a football team...or an instructor- either way; your career as a cheerleader will not last long, thus not being a way of life. I have had numerous friends who were cheerleaders and yell leaders. Most fizzled out after high school because they saw the dead end that it was. I think climbing is a way of LIFE because one can do it forever. Sorry you were deeply offended by my opinion.
big fan of good cheerleaders and climbers,
jer
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maltek
Sep 28, 2001, 3:25 PM
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Look at a fat baseball player and a climber and tell me which one is a sport?
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bart
Sep 28, 2001, 4:28 PM
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I doesn't matter if it's a sport or not. It's healthy and fun, what else do you want? I think climbing is a sport though. It's even a very extensive sport and there are climbing competitions. That guy you're talking about isn't very smart, is he?
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wandt
Sep 28, 2001, 6:29 PM
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Well... actually... you can do cheerleading forever just like you can climb. Exactly like climbing, infact. Simpply head out into the woods and do your "gimme an A!!!" thing. True, people will thin you're nuts, but the public thinks that of the climber 50m up, 6m past his last piece of pro too. Wow. These sports really are close!
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dean585
Sep 28, 2001, 6:46 PM
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I dont think it matters if climbing is considered a sport or not. It wont change how I climb or how I look at it, and I dont think anyone else here can say that if suddenly it is considered universally a sport or not something will be different about it in its essence next time you are on the rock. I say who cares about defining it, i just hope that it never becomes some overcommercialized activity, like so many other sports have become where its all about ratings and winning.
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pianomahnn
Sep 28, 2001, 6:48 PM
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I love debates...so exciting.
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ecchastang
Sep 28, 2001, 7:13 PM
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Tell the rugby player to climb with you and judge for himself it is a sport. He will soon change his mind. I just got into climbing a couple months ago. I've done football, soccer cross country running, competition weight lifting; climbing is by far the most intense!
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jds100
Sep 28, 2001, 7:33 PM
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ClmbrChck, I was 'funnin' with cheerleading more than seriously ridiculing it. Also in my post was a comment about the physical activity being goal oriented. That's what I don't see so clearly in cheerleading. I know it takes an awful lot physically, but it really has been a sideline activity for a long, long time to sort of supplement the competitive event going on beyond the cheerleaders. Until more recently, cheerleading was not a stand-alone activity, and I just didn't see the point of risking so much for so little. Even now, in competitive cheerleading, it's a contrived competition; or maybe a physical competition in a contrived setting.
But, ultimately, Coach and Wandt are right, and climbing is probably harder to 'justify' than cheerleading to someone who doesn't get it. So, it's just that I don't get the point of cheerleading, but I can't really explain the point of climbing to someone who doesn't get that, either.
Maybe the offense taken by the original poster of this forum was that in climbing, the climber is doing the "Thing" itself: climbing. Whereas cheerleading, even if incorrectly so, is generally percieved as being directed AT the "Thing", rather than a "thing" in and of itself.
I do have the utmost respect for the physical abilities of cheerleaders, too.
(This was typed left-handed, inasmuch as my entire right limb is incapacitated and in a full cast. My wife's headaches are subsiding, now, and the doctor says her double-vision should clear up in week or two. Her hair will take longer to grow back, where her stiches are. But, she should be quite comfortable in that big bed of ours,... hers. For now, I'm getting reaquainted with my sleeping bag on the couch.)
[ This Message was edited by: jds100 on 2001-09-28 12:35 ]
[ This Message was edited by: jds100 on 2001-09-28 12:41 ]
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stigonrock
Sep 28, 2001, 8:22 PM
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Well what can I say...interesting debate..
First hey Pianomahnn, firstly Im from England and I didn't even know cheerleading was a sport.. I thought it was just a bunch of girls dancing around doing a few dances and gymnastic moves .. so to all cheerleaders...please please please forgive my ignorance.
But this shows one thing ..
the cheerleader who made the comment doesn't
know much about climbing..same as I don't know much about cheerleading??
So to the cheerleader..climbing is whatever you want it to be. To some, its playing, having fun on the rock, to others its intense and competitions are the thing. To others its adventure, life and everything..thats what it is to me.
Its difficult to compare cheerleaders to climbing same as comparing a game of football to downhill skiing.
One thing they all have in commnon though is that they all require some discipline and effort to be any good.
I mean hey lets forget about comparing other sports to climbing, The argument to a lot of climbers is really "IS CLIMBING A SPORT?"
I get stick at home for doing sports climbing by traditional climbers, I get frowns if I wanna solo a few routes as its not the done thing to a lot of people. Some real traditionalists won't go to climbing walls here and state that its not 'true climbing'.
At the end of the day it doesn't really matter. What's important is that however you do it and for whatever reasons, you have fun and enjoy and do it for your own personal reasons - everyone is different.
Hey pianomahn - you know what climbing does for you and thats whats important, not other peoples perception of what they think climbing is or what you are about. If they don't get it, then are they worth it?
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iclimb512s
Sep 28, 2001, 8:44 PM
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pianomahn, i no exactly how pissed u were. people at my school tell me rockclimbing isnt a sport and that football is. i hate it. ROCK CLIMBING IS A SERIOUS SPORT. and the people who dont think so can pucker up
to my (_!_)
Climb on!
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iclimb512s
Sep 28, 2001, 8:44 PM
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pianomahn, i no exactly how pissed u were. people at my school tell me rockclimbing isnt a sport and that football is. i hate it. ROCK CLIMBING IS A SERIOUS SPORT. and the people who dont think so can pucker up
to my (_!_)
Climb on!
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metoliusmunchkin
Sep 28, 2001, 8:54 PM
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How could this person, even come close to comparing chearleading with climbing? THere two pretty different things!
People at my school are the same way, they too don't believe that climbing is a sport. They just think it's some kind of hobby that only a handful of people do. When I tell them that it is a sport, they just laugh at me, again bringing up the subject of football and other supposed "manly sports".
They say that football players are strong, and really healthy, and that anyone can climb. Sure anyone can climb, but not everyone can actually be good at climbing. And who says climbers aren't strong??? They have to be! Especially if there gonna haul there selves up a rock only using their fingers! Most football players that I hear of can't even run 200m because they play defense, and they say that they are healthy?! I see guys in the gym older than me, and probably weigh less. They are in good shape!
Climbing is not a sport??!! WHATEVER!!
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metoliusmunchkin
Sep 28, 2001, 8:57 PM
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How could this person, even come close to comparing chearleading with climbing? THere two pretty different things!
People at my school are the same way, they too don't believe that climbing is a sport. They just think it's some kind of hobby that only a handful of people do. When I tell them that it is a sport, they just laugh at me, again bringing up the subject of football and other supposed "manly sports".
They say that football players are strong, and really healthy, and that anyone can climb. Sure anyone can climb, but not everyone can actually be good at climbing. And who says climbers aren't strong??? They have to be! Especially if there gonna haul there selves up a rock only using their fingers! Most football players that I hear of can't even run 200m because they play defense, and they say that they are healthy?! I see guys in the gym older than me, and probably weigh less. They are in good shape!
Climbing is not a sport??!! WHATEVER!!
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metoliusmunchkin
Sep 28, 2001, 9:00 PM
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Sorry about posting my reply twice, my computer is really messed up. Please forgive me.
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