Holding up one finger when winning a race.

TROLL

*sigh*

that is something that a slow person woud say.

I'll hold up one finger to a person like you when I win a race - my middle finger.

I won many races and not once did I ever raise my arms in victory. Sometimes I felt like it but I never did because of judgments from people like you and perhaps internal judging. Since then I have done some cycling and I love how everyone is allowed to raise theire arms in any race. In fact you are considered to be arrogant and snob if you dont raise your arms. The crowd wants to believe this was the victory of your life and if you dont raise your arms its like your saying this victory means nothing to me, thanks for coming out anyway to the crowd.

^well, that's a good point as well. If you don't do anything, does that mean the victory doesn't mean much to you or you didn't give a full effort? Or are you just being modest?

staples wrote:

Even if I had the world record, I wouldn't think of myself as the best because then you lose motivation.

Yes, just like Edwin Moses, and Paula Radcliffe, and El Guerrouj, and Haile G., and Sergey Bubka...

Still, it is evident that you have piles of insight into the workings of a champion's mind, even without being quite at that level yourself. So please describe for us what it feels like to give birth - the agony, the ecstasy, the clam juice.

I hate the fact that most people don't celebrate wins. Running should be fun. If you win I encourage you to hold up a finger, pound your chest, do the airplane, fist pump, take off your shirt and dance around it - enjoy it.

I like to celebrate little things on training runs. Safely crossing the street, topping out a hill well, not falling while leaping over creeks.

i would think you're probably an idiot if you just won a gold medal and did nothing. raising your arms after winning your local 5K in 17:22 seems a bit weird but if you win a big race, i would think it quite odd if you didn't celebrate a little. and i see absolutely no reason why that would be considered arrogant or anything else. arrogance is belittling the field after you win. obnoxious is ripping off your singlet and doing the ickey shuffle after you win. i'd recommend getting some slightly higher standards for what arrogance and obnoxiousness mean to you.

hahaha. well it appears you all have picked apart what I said and made some very good points against what I said. Very well done. And you're right, I don't know what it's like to be a champion, I was just stating my feelings on the matter. I'm sure many people think quite differently than I do and will disagree with everything. But you've all made very valid points that I think make a lot of sense.

well, I have nothing against someone raising their arms or a fist pump. Celebrating is fine, it's just the finger that bothers me. Alright, you've made me feel like an ass.

I, for one, agree with "staples." In fact, I'll go further. I don't like the two-fingered "Victory" (or "Peace") sign, or the "Praise Be Allah" sign, or the "I love you, Ms. Who-the-Hell-Cares" sign. Just a purposeful drive to the finish. Smile permitted, as long as it doesn't look like gloating.

I am guessing the person who started the thread has never won a race. And I am not talking about one 200 meter rep in the middle of a workout.

I like to either do the worm or the robot when crossing the finish line, is this considered arrogant?

I used to do the moonwalk but that is so 15 minutes ago.

well, we all have our pet peeves. but the finger seems like a strange one. the person did win the race. they were clearly number one. seems like a rather obvious gesture to make. i've never done it (from what i recall, i just went with the right arm in the air after a "big" win) but, i have to be honest, unless you really make an effort to think about it beforehand, your reaction to a win is pretty unconscious. i don't really think you can make much objection to anything anyone does in the first minute or two after they finish a race.

that is what i keep telling my gf

Holding up one finger means you were "number one" in the race. Nothing more. Why does it bother you?

I've done the one finger thing. It is usually done when the victory was earned, but there wasn't the proverbial battle to the finish. If I have the energy to raise my arms in the air at the finish, obviously there isn't someone right there to kick me down.

If I a win by that much, should I even raise my arms? I think a finger is much more appropriate, letting the finish line audience know that I am cognizant of being number one, but sportsman enough to not make 2nd place feel like a turd.

I'll hold up one finger to a person like you when I win a race - my middle finger.[/quote]

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