Could Rich Froning win gold in the Olympic Decathlon if he focused on it for 5 years?

Runningart2004 wrote:

Running prowess does not equal athletic success. Winning athletic events equals athletic success.

While I do believe in Crossfit's definition of fitness, their execution is not optimal as there's not much for cardiovascular endurance. To achieve a respectable level of cardiorespiratory endurance their strength numbers would have to fall.

A good balance of both extremes would be sub 3:00 marathoner/sub 18 5k/sub 5 miler type also deadlifting 405 or approx 2.5-3.0 bw or similar lifting numbers.

Alan

He could not have athletic success. He would be a scrub in every existing sport or game. He could never run a sub 3:00 marathon or a sub 18 5k or a sub 5 mile. Like somebody pointed out earlier, he might become good at laying bricks or moving hay bales, but he could never win any real athletic event. He is good at what he does, and what he does is difficult, but he could never be good at anything else.

Did you miss the part where he was a D2 baseball player? That equals athletic success in my book. Not every frat boy can play college baseball.

Alan

I'm mistaken, it was a juco college...he received a baseball scholarship for Walters State Community College.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

Froning is Slow and Weak wrote:

He could not have athletic success. He would be a scrub in every existing sport or game. He could never run a sub 3:00 marathon or a sub 18 5k or a sub 5 mile. Like somebody pointed out earlier, he might become good at laying bricks or moving hay bales, but he could never win any real athletic event. He is good at what he does, and what he does is difficult, but he could never be good at anything else.

Did you miss the part where he was a D2 baseball player? That equals athletic success in my book. Not every frat boy can play college baseball.

Alan

Your book has really low standards. He was a scrub on a very bad D2 baseball team. Which would put him below several thousand other college baseball players, about the equivalent of GW Bush playing JV baseball at Yale. There are many, many little leaguers better than this dude. That does not equal success by any standard. Not every frat boy can play college baseball, but lots and lots of frat boys can play baseball better than Froning.

Runningart2004 wrote:

I'm mistaken, it was a juco college...he received a baseball scholarship for Walters State Community College.

Alan

WTF? Are you kidding me? Froning is a clown. A bench-sitter at some juco that nobody ever heard of. Not only that, but baseball isn't a sport. There are many, many lardasses in the baseball Hall Of Fame. You don't need to be even the slightest bit of an athlete to be a major league all star. (John Kruk, "I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player.")

Yes but the claim is that he could never be good at anything else and high school girls could beat him at other sports. I then provided proof that he had some success at other sports. Michael Jordan was great at basketball. Froning is great at Crossfit. Michael was a good high school baseball player. Froning was a good high school baseball player.

I understand that Crossfit is a made up sport but so are many other athletic endeavors. I just think a lot of runners are sore because Crossfit gets time on ESPN.

Alan

What The..... wrote:

Runningart2004 wrote:

I'm mistaken, it was a juco college...he received a baseball scholarship for Walters State Community College.

Alan

WTF? Are you kidding me? Froning is a clown. A bench-sitter at some juco that nobody ever heard of. Not only that, but baseball isn't a sport. There are many, many lardasses in the baseball Hall Of Fame. You don't need to be even the slightest bit of an athlete to be a major league all star. (John Kruk, "I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player.")

Many people would say track is not a sport, and road racing is just something people do to stay in shape. Where's the ball? No ball? Not a sport. I'm just playing devils advocate but a distance runner saying baseball or Crossfit is not a sport carries no weight.

Alan

Runningart2004 wrote:

Yes but the claim is that he could never be good at anything else and high school girls could beat him at other sports. I then provided proof that he had some success at other sports. Michael Jordan was great at basketball. Froning is great at Crossfit. Michael was a good high school baseball player. Froning was a good high school baseball player.

I understand that Crossfit is a made up sport but so are many other athletic endeavors. I just think a lot of runners are sore because Crossfit gets time on ESPN.

Alan

Baseball isn't a sport. Who cares what they show on ESPN? Don't they have the spelling bee, cheerleading, the dog show, poker, billiards, darts, bowling?

Anyway, Froning could train forever and not be a good decathlete. He would lose to high school girls in every legitimate sport. Those are facts.

Runningart2004 wrote:

What The..... wrote:

WTF? Are you kidding me? Froning is a clown. A bench-sitter at some juco that nobody ever heard of. Not only that, but baseball isn't a sport. There are many, many lardasses in the baseball Hall Of Fame. You don't need to be even the slightest bit of an athlete to be a major league all star. (John Kruk, "I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player.")

Many people would say track is not a sport, and road racing is just something people do to stay in shape. Where's the ball? No ball? Not a sport. I'm just playing devils advocate but a distance runner saying baseball or Crossfit is not a sport carries no weight.

Alan

A lot of weightlifters seem to be pretty upset that Froning can't beat high school girls in any sport.

XFit is a sport, sort of, although hardly anybody competes in it. Baseball is not a sport by any definition.

Froning is an impressive physical specimen, but Crossfit is 90% about lifting, and the best lifters have short limbs and long trunks. The best runners are the opposite. So no, I don't think Froning could do well in decathlon.

Also, the decathlon is heavily weighted towards fast twitch muscle. Most of the events are throws and sprints. By contrast, Crossfit has a blend of strength and endurance. Anyone who excels in Crossfit has too much slow-twitch muscle to be good at decathlon.

As I said, Froning is an impressive athlete and he's better built than most elite sprinters and decathletes. But he can't do what they do.

Froning could win the decathlon at the pygmy steroid Olympics. At least give him some credit for that.

NopeNopeNope wrote:

Runningart2004 wrote:

Yes but the claim is that he could never be good at anything else and high school girls could beat him at other sports. I then provided proof that he had some success at other sports. Michael Jordan was great at basketball. Froning is great at Crossfit. Michael was a good high school baseball player. Froning was a good high school baseball player.

I understand that Crossfit is a made up sport but so are many other athletic endeavors. I just think a lot of runners are sore because Crossfit gets time on ESPN.

Alan

Baseball isn't a sport. Who cares what they show on ESPN? Don't they have the spelling bee, cheerleading, the dog show, poker, billiards, darts, bowling?

Anyway, Froning could train forever and not be a good decathlete. He would lose to high school girls in every legitimate sport. Those are facts.

Baseball is a legitimate sport.

Alan

Dan Bailey, 47 second quarter miler and 19 minute 5k runner from Ohio U came I 4th. He's clearly a very good but not great track runner who wouldn't excel in the decathlon, even with his track training. How can anyone think Froning would excel? Is Froning an incredibly fit specimen? Yes! a great athlete? probably not. But no way would he be more than mediocre in the decathlon.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Baseball is a legitimate sport.

Alan

I think he was trolling.

For the record I would like to say that decathletes are the fittest athletes. Crossfit makes you good at Crossfit (shock!)

Alan

Every sport is made up. Track is no better than crossfit.

I hope so, because baseball is a game... just like football, basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis, golf, cricket, rugby, etc. Games... not sport.

Mike Ryan won the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships, then became the national champion at raquetball.

Bob Hayes was an Olympic gold medalist at track, then went to the NFL and has Super Bowl Rings.

Jan Stenerud was a champion cross country skier and runner, then went to the NFL and has a Super Bowl Ring.

Terry Bradshaw was a national record holder in the javelin, then went to the NFL and has Super Bowl Rings.

Michael Carter was an Olympic medalist in the shot, then went to the NFL and has Super Bowl Rings.

Renaldo Nehemiah was a world record holder in the hurdles, then went to the NFL and has a Super Bowl Ring.

How many xfit champions will ever play in the NFL, win a Super Bowl, win an Olympic medal, win a NCAA championship, set a world record? Zero. The answer is zero.