XC is just starting and I just got together with my team for pratice. Being there reminded me of a invite I ran last year, due to a fat kid on my team. In that race I got second a bit off from the leader and received some claps at the line. My chubby teamated got dfl, in the jv race, and received thunderous applause. Made me wonder, is getting last and getting appreated better than getting a good place and no one giving a shit? What do you guys think?
To be honest they need the support. Its like why even at smaller local road races and the like the back of the pack or screamed at andd applauded no eend.
I'd rather have a result I/my coach/team was happy with tbh and be satisfied with myself rather than gauging my performance by the crowd's applause. This isn't acting or reality tv.
if you come in second, you had a chance to win, and failed. No applause for failure.
If you're a fat kid, you had no chance to win, but you didn't drop out, a great achievement for a fat kid. Applause for a great achievement.
I wasn't fat my first year of XC, but gangly and hardly able to run three miles. I'd have to pace myself to avoid walking, or even walk a few steps at the top of a hill the first few races. Unlike the other slow new guy, who was hefty, I didn't see a problem with short walking breaks as long as my time improved each race.
I was just running because I was told if I did XC in the fall my mile time would drop. Believe it or not I could run a mile in well under 6 minutes before I could jog 3.1. Obviously a sprint type but I didn't yet have the leg strength to accelerate quickly either. So at the end of the race, when people (usually the girls team, who were nicer) would could to cheer me in, I'd make sure to reach full speed. It was slightly awkward, though I like to think that I turned some of the pity claps around.
When I was 12, I joined a swim team. I wasn't a great swimmer, but I was outright terrible at breaststroke, yet was entered in it for some reason one meet. The race was 4 lengths of the pool (can't remember if it was a 25 yard vs. 50 meter distance pool). By the time I finished my third length, ALL the other competitors were done. I had to swim that last length all by myself and got big time parent audience pity applause.
Anyway, it was terrible. Never wanted to feel that again and never did (in HS I ran track which was more up my alley ability wise). I would rather be booed mercilessly that get pity applause. On top of all that, I guess at some point I compromised my stroke and after all that swimming was officially a DQ.
"Just one more hill!"
"You're almost there!"
"Looking good!!!!!"
The last guy isn't really getting appreciated. A lot of the applause is more like, "finally, this thing is done." Audiences are trained to applaud the end of something, so it's a bit awkward to clap for the second place guy when there is still at least 10-20 minutes left of runners coming in. Certainly the volunteers are glad to see that fat kid FINALLY coming in. Not out of respect for his effort, but out of their desire to go crack open a beer out of the cooler in their truck bed. If anything, that fat kid is being mocked.
Hitmonlee wrote:
I was just running because I was told if I did XC in the fall my mile time would drop. Believe it or not I could run a mile in well under 6 minutes before I could jog 3.1. Obviously a sprint type but I didn't yet have the leg strength to accelerate quickly either. So at the end of the race, when people (usually the girls team, who were nicer) would could to cheer me in, I'd make sure to reach full speed. It was slightly awkward, though I like to think that I turned some of the pity claps around.
Obviously a sprint type? Usain Bolt can run a faster mile than that. You were neither a sprint type nor a distance type. You were just completely unfit.