Susan Neilson
English 1010-126717
Evaluation Argument
October 25, 2011
NASCAR Drivers Elite Athletes In 2011 Golden Tate, Detroit Lions wide receiver, tweeted that driving a car does not make someone athletic. In 2013 Donovan McNabb, retired NFL quarterback, made a comment that he did not consider Jimmie Johnson an athlete. The remarks were fueled when Jimmie Johnson, six-time champion in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, was nominated for Best Male Athlete at ESPN’s Espy Awards in 2011. Merriam-Webster defines an Athlete as a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina (“Athlete” 1). Auto Racing is recognized as a sport by the Association of IOC Recognised International
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According to Potkanowicz, Edward S., and Ronald W. Mendel, racecar drivers heart rates have been recorded at 174.3 beats per minute (bpm), their bodies have endured repetitive g-loading up to 5.5 gravitational forces (g), and have withstand core body temperature of 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4). A normal heart for adults ranges between 60-100 bpm. Racecar drivers have to be aerobically fit to sustain elevated heart rates. The average human can only handle up to 5g before passing out. Upper body strength is required if drivers are to withstand the continuous blows of g-force that can reach above 5g. An average core body temperature for humans is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent heat stroke, drivers practice hot yoga to help acclimate their bodies to the heat and exertion they will encounter on the track. In auto racing drivers must withstand all physiological stresses of their sport, if they lack in on aspect it can put their life and the life of fellow drivers in jeopardy. “Talk to high level athletes about their tactical preparation on of performance, and inevitably the words “concentration,” “attention,” or “focus” will be part of the conversation.” (Blumenstein 3). Elite Athletes undoubtedly are faced with psychological stress of performing their sport. In racecar driving those stresses can be heightened due the extreme nature of the sport. Racecar drivers are expected to multi-task at high level of speeds. They stay focused for long periods of time in
Your car goes where your eyes go. Simply another way of saying that which you manifest is before you” (83). If a driver can feel what is about to happen, they know what to expect. Although Denny ended up being two laps behind during one of his races, he found a way to come back and finish second. He knew that he could find a way to finish it somehow, and he
The only way they can practice is on a virtual racing simulator. Each driver will load all the information about their car into this simulator and then make sure the car will drive right on the track. As stated in a questionnaire, “Most motorsport series follow a similar schedule: testing on Friday/Saturday, qualifying on Saturday and race on Sunday. So drivers will get about 3-4 hours of actual seat time before qualifying and the race. They will also do many more hours in a simulator at their team's headquarters before even arriving at the circuit” (Kim). Exercise and nutrition plays an important role in any sport as well as NASCAR. As stated in a men's fitness magazine “Every three or four months, I add new elements to my training” (Olivero). Being fit in NASCAR allows the driver to stay focused while in the car. Guiding a monstrously powerful stock car through traffic at 180 miles per hour is an incredibly demanding physical task.
Olympic athletes try to break out humanity’s limit. For example, sprint racers train themselves to run faster and faster. Only a few
NASCAR has seen great success with branding by differentiating the racing events from other racing series, especially with the overall race experience. Whether a fan attends the live venue, watches from the television, or listens through radio they are able to experience the exhilaration of the racing experience. Fans stand 75 million strong, and are the second highest in television ratings second only to the National Football League (Ferrell, Hartline, 2014). The sense of community within the NASCAR sport encourages a bond among fans and drivers. Driver loyalty is unrivaled, and the emotional attachment to the racing series is the foundation of the brand.
The NASCAR driver that I chose to use is Jimmie Johnson. The sponsors that he has include Lowe’s, Sprint, Chevrolet, and Goodyear tires. These are some of his major sponsors that Jimmie Johnson has. Each of these sponsors see value in working with Jimmie because he is one of the best right now, and when people see that he represents those businesses people will want to be customers of that place. Jimmie Johnson is one of the best NASCAR drivers of his generation, some of his accomplishments are that he makes over 10 million dollars a year and he has premiered in the Daytona 500. His potential achievements could be winning the Daytona 500. His accomplishments and future achievements are in common because he is pretty close to reaching his goals.
Motorcyclists continually exercise their brains calculating possible outcomes and meditating only on the skills necessary to operate the machine and seamlessly integrate with traffic. Practiced regularly, this focus becomes part of a Marine rider’s thought process in all areas of life, in the same manner as repetition of combat rehearsals and immediate action
Nascar is one of the many racing sports like motorsport, running, cycling, and swimming. People might argue that Nascar is also in the category of a racing sport just like those. They say that people don’t take the time to learn about actually learn about Nascar and appreciate what the drivers go through. In addition, people argue that Nascar is technically a sport since it fits the description of what a sport is. Nascar racers compete against other people and have to be physically fit to race. However even though it is technically a fact, that doesn’t mean everyone will agree on it. The people that are for Nascar being a sport explain many things that prove their point and show that Nascar racers are athletes. For example, They are put in some pretty tough circumstances. Those include them being in cars temperatures exceeding over 100 degrees fahrenheit. Also, they have to put up with g-forces that are 1.3 through 3 times earth's gravity for 2 or more hours. One of the main reasons it is considered a sport is because the racers have to be pretty fit. Studies show that they lose about 5 through 10 pounds per race. It might not be that hard to believe because of all the arguments people
At the same time, race car drivers receive an adrenaline rush from racing. They receive this rush from the super-fast speeds, and pushing themselves and their cars to the edge. (Daft)
Endurance is essential to any race car driver. Almost all athletes have to be able to make their bodies perform at high levels for long periods of time, and a race car driver is no different. Many argue that all race car drivers do is sit in a car and drive, and that anyone could do it. Many times in stock cars the temperature can reach 120 degrees, and drivers will lose a sufficient amount of water from their bodies due to sweat. On average a driver will lose about five to seven pounds over the course of a race (Metcalf). At the same time it can be difficult to breathe in a stock car because there is not much air coming inside of the car because of the aerodynamics. As a result, drivers have a tube running into their helmet that blows air on them to keep them cool; otherwise, it is very possible the driver could risk heat stroke during a race. Mark Martin, a fifty-year-old veteran NASCAR Sprint Cup driver still strength trains on a regular basis and says “ You can have the fastest car on the NASCAR or Indy circuit, but if you are not capable
A common adverse affect of overtraining for an elite athlete is ‘Overtraining Syndrome’. Overtraining syndrome is a neuroendocrine (neural input cells in the brain) disorder characterized by poor performance in competition, inability to maintain training loads, persistent fatigue, frequent illness, disturbed sleep and the most frequent in an elite athlete: alterations in mood state (Nature Immunology and Cell Biology Laurel T Mackinnon May 2000). Nearly all athletes experience the mood deterioration observed without impairment in sport performance. Since the goal is to reach a point of improved performance within the athlete the athlete then has to reach his/her limits of physical capacity (or even beyond) and since the balance between the right amount of training and overtraining is a fragile line many athletes suffer from this overtraining syndrome. It is not the hard training that makes you stronger in fact it makes you slightly weaker, it is the rest that will allow your body to grow stronger. Physiologic improvement in sports only occurs during the rest period following hard training. Due to this need for hardened training many elite athletes overwork themselves
Yet, many people object the physical exertion aspect with golf, that it does not require any. These objectors who say golf should not be included in that defined group are ignorant to athletics and its regulations. My definition of a sport is a competition that involves athletes who play to win within a certain structure of rules and regulations. Anyone can be an athlete; they do not have to be good to play a sport, as long as they try with some effort. A sport requires certain qualities of an individual too that it can not be without.
Many individuals grow up dreaming of becoming a collegiate or professional athlete. However, no one achieves either level by chance. It takes talent, a desire to achieve greatness, and a willingness to compete against other talented individuals to prove oneself in the world of sports. The growth of eSports has created a new way in which to become a collegiate or professional athlete. The term athlete, however, is filled with stereotypes. Many deem athletes as those trained or skilled in sports, games, or exercises requiring strength, flexibility, and stamina. While video gamers may not be as physically strong, they are highly skilled in a game, can be flexible, and definitely demonstrate stamina. Consequently, video game players should be considered athletes at the collegiate and professional level.
In earlier days sports psychology was mostly concerned with developing assessment methods that would identify those people with the potential to become serious superior athletes. Today the focus is on psychological training, exercises that strengthen the mental skills that will help athletic performances on the path to excellence. These skills include mental imagery and focus training. If an athlete is serious about becoming the best he or she can possibly be, the most essential ingredient is commitment to practice the right things. It takes incredible commitment to reach the top: a commitment to rest and train the body so it can perform under the most demanding conditions and a commitment to train the mind to
Some people think that professional athletes are above the average because of how much they make from whatever sport they play but the questions I want to ask you is what happens when you are no longer in the Spotlight when you go from all time high to all time low or from super bowl starting quarterback to nfl benchwarmer would you start a desperate movement to get back in the Spotlight,would you do or say what you could to become #1 again ,would you disrespect a nation and hide behind a movement that started because they legitimately wanted to make a change in areas that are still living in the 20s and desperately need a change those are the questions I want you to keep in mind while reading my essay everyone has a story and if you haven 't got a clue of who 's story I 'm about to tell its because its not going to be a who 's story it 's going to be a movements story and if you think I 'm talking about black lives matter you 're wrong I 'm talking about a new movement a new trend that one nfl quarterback started and others followed it is a movement that caused his jersey to be the most bought jersey but not because people support it but because they feel disappointed and disrespected by the trend and they want to send this individual quarterback a message the biggest question is why are others following him and why are they not getting consequences and are they all doing it to make a change or to get their careers back on top in this essay I 'm going to give you a
Flashing back to my younger days, I watched Lewis Hamilton ever since he joined Mclaren in 2007. A year later, he would be world Champion. “Thats your helmet?” He asked, pointing to my bright yellow helmet I had based after Ayrton Senna 's helmet. “Yeah” “So your kart number 14?” I nodded as we both walked slowly to the timing station. We were engaged in small talk when we arrived and looked at the times. I was still 5 tenths off the pole time. As I swore under my breath, Lewis gestured me to walk with him towards the track. It was 12 p.m, so the track was closed for a hour for lunch. I walked the track with him, and he explained to me how he was successful on this track in his Formula 3.5 years. “Most corners are flat out, but the ones that arnt you must throw the car in. Remember, the exit is more important than the entrance. Never sacrifice your racing line to overtake someone.” Their was about an hour more of driving theory but, in all honesty, I didn 't remember most of it, as I was still trying to accept the fact that I was getting driving lessons from Lewis Hamilton. We walked back to the pit straight and Lewis helped me adjust my engine and chassis for the track. As I was rolling out the the track, Lewis screamed one more tip through the roaring engine. “Hop the kerbs!”. With that in mind I went out to the track, ready for a master-class hotlap.