NON Strat survey

[gkhd11a]

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one

If the slogan inspires the runners then I see nothing wrong in it. I don't think too many here actually were high school cross country runners or they wouldn't be talking about athletic ego's. You are talking about 5 foot 6 kids weighing 120 pounds for the most part. If their actions in a race are actually what their slogan is then that would be an issue. However the slogan is really just a catchier version of the following:

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." - Michael Jordon


"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

[img:3b94a24018]http://storage1.ihigh.com/users/203/photos/m831711.jpg[/img:3b94a24018]
[img:3b94a24018]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tfyhzV8tJq8/TIQCN-XoMlI/AAAAAAAAPEY/YzhzWujMT5o/s1600/tshirt1.JPG[/img:3b94a24018]

[JohnnyBlazers]

NO - its actually pretty lame and sounds like a war charge. but you do have other high school team names, mainly for football like Marauders, Pirates, Renegades, Dominators, Bombers etc which are metaphors and people can draw their own conclusions. "Trample the Weak...hurdle the dead"? just think its pretty corny in the context of a track team and it is implying disrespect for an opponent. If the name was "Pirates - we will beat you...and rob your sisters too" people would have a problem with that. So what is the high jump team/Pole Vault team named "Death from Above"? It's just corny...

[Valen]

Kids will do and say unwise things like this. I would hope however that adults would set a better example. But this is America where everyone has the right to be insensitive and uncaring about others. As Yakov would say what a country. :lol:

[The Last Druid]

The saying sort of encapsulates how the folks that run this planet conduct business and their endless wars etc. I detest how they do business and I detest the slogan.

If I were on the school board in that district I would seek to have that track coach terminated.

Somehow, somewhere kids should be getting messages to counter the destructive socialization they get from video games, tv shows, movies, media in general, where violence is all pervasive and human life trivialized. Role models should be just that and not validate the polarizing zeitgeist that threatens the very existence of life on this planet.

Gotta start somewhere.

[mrharryc]

I fully concur with Petro's thoughts.

A tasteless and insensitive slogan that might be something to expect from kids in our society today, but one I certainly would expect adults -both parents and coaches - to promptly disallow.

Sloganeering doesn't make anyone tougher or more resilient, but it probably helps extend the sense of indifference and carelessness.

Finally, is there no foolishness, indecency or mean-spiritedness that won't be celebrated by some as a wonderful by-product of "freedom?"

[bontomn]

It's a terrible slogan that, as Petro says, mirrors the violence that indeed permeates today's society. The story about it should have caused a furor among responsible parents in the school district and the school principal should have reacted immediately to repudiate the slogan.

It reminds me of a lot of the sentiments I heard from many of the parents when I was watching my kids play organized sports. The only bright side is that I don't hear much of that talk from the parents as I watch my grandchildren play sports.

But I confess that there are moments when I believe my some of my grandchildren would rather die than give up their violent video games.

[motherscratcher]

Meh...it's some teenage runners trying to sound tough. You guys need to lighten up.

[216 Stitches]

[quote:99420799cc="gkhd11a"] I don't think too many here actually were high school cross country runners or they wouldn't be talking about athletic ego's. You are talking about 5 foot 6 kids weighing 120 pounds for the most part. [/quote:99420799cc]

That is so true.

The slogan makes most sense if you're talking about trampling
an ant and hurdling over an ant-hill, because that is what training
for those sports is all about. Running on trails, over and over.

A distance runner is just not an athlete to be feared, at least not
for the size. It sounds really bad out of context, but its basically
akin to a slogan like "Divers do it deeper"

[Salty]

I think a lot of things get said in the 'winning is everything' mindset.

Is it any different than 'To be or Not to be'?
Where intended or not, the Shakespearean implication of 'not' is death.
or an ENORMOUS number of poor messages we are bombarded with.
Do or Die
Play Rugby, Give Blood
I could go on...

My question is, would it be worse if it was say, football or hockey (contact sports) instead of track, where you actually could trample an opponent?


Its late, so if I missed something, apologies.

[The Last Druid]

I ran track and cross country in high school. The three best runners on our team were all over 6 ft. I was 6'3 155. Those of us who could compete effectively at the county and state level, no problem with ego or lack thereof.

Quite the opposite in fact. And as far as not athletes to be feared, that can prove a costly misapprehension.

I only had one fight in high school We were playing basketball in gym. This guy my age and height but 30 pounds heavier, who started on the varsity basketball team (power forward), shoved me after a play. Then he pushed me again. I threw one punch. Broke two knuckles on my right hand. Fractured the orbital socket on his left eye. I went to the doctor to get my hand put in a cast. He went to the E.R. He went to a different grade school than me. Didn't know that I grew up on a block with two kids my age who won scholarships to Division 1 Football Schools and two guys (also my age) who were county champions in wrestling. I spent my childhood wrestling, fooling around and playing football and baseball with these guys. Occasionally a fight would erupt, but we all stayed friends. He also didn't know that I had a lot of pent -up anger from growing up with a physically abusive, alcoholic father. So when the guy pushed me in gym, he just saw this skinny kid with shoulder length hair, who played chess and ran track. That was the one and only time anyone ever tried to bully me in school. Appearances can be quite deceptive. Even with guys who run track. BTW in Spring Track we had half the football team on our squad, they were our best sprinters.