A question about camaraderie and strength sports

[mike pulcinella]

Question: Why do strength athletes encourage rival competitors?


I'm not a lifter, I'm a filmmaker. But I'm also the cousin of the owner of Iron Sport Gym, Steve Pulcinella, so I've gotten know know many of the athletes that train there and made a few videos about them.

You can see them here...
http://www.youtube.com/user/IronSportGym

One thing I've noticed is that while in competition, strength athletes will often encourage each other and cheer each other on, sometimes getting quite worked up, slapping each other in the face, shaking each other, yelling and screaming. I know you've all seen it and done it. I find it very moving and inspiring. It is one of the reasons that I enjoy making videos for and about strength sports. I think it's a great aspect of the sport and yet I can't help but think that it is not to the competitor's advantage to encourage a rival!

If you egg your competitor on to make a lift he might not have made then you are going to have a harder time winning the competition! So why do you do it? I don't know of any other sport where this selfless behavior occurs. Any thoughts as to why that might be?

[Terry_hollands]

my opinion is that strength sports are very hard to compete in and we all respect each other very much. Also we're impressed by great feats of strength so if someone beats you by doing something great that you are pleased to just witness something impressive

[rickfreitag]

my opinion is that strength sports are very hard to compete in and we all respect each other very much. Also we're impressed by great feats of strength so if someone beats you by doing something great that you are pleased to just witness something impressive

perfectly stated.

[JimPierce]

Terry said it

[Declan Mac Daid]

What he said!

[Eric Todd]

Yep-
It pumps me up to see a big lift or a PR.
ET

[Eric Jett]

I would agree with Terry, but I think another aspect of it is we want to face the best, see the best out of our competition so we can be pushed to our limits. After all, that is one of the reasons we do strength sports: to test ourselves.

[CharlesDMickey]

Indeed Terry summed it up well.

But I believe there is another aspect: There is no joy in winning a contest if you completely out class the competition. You go there expecting a fight, you've trained VERY hard for that fight. So when the fight is brutal and you win, victory is SWEET!

If we had been born 1000 years earlier we would probably all be warriors, knights, mercenaries - whatever; just looking for the thrill of the fight. But we cant kill people anymore so we compete in sports.

[Steve Trippe]

Strength sports aren't as much a competition with each other as they are a competition with one's self. We sweat and bleed for every pound on the bar, and so when we have a chance to encourage someone else to get the pounds that THEY bled for, then we do it. We understand what it takes and know how hard it is, so of course we want others to be successful, otherwise all that work would be for nothing.

Besides that, how can you NOT get fired up when someone else is doing a big lift?

[James Whisman]

A lot in strength sports is you against the weight. I have entered contests I was pretty sure I wasn't going to win, but wanted to challenge myself and see how I did this time vs last time. Over all placing often comes secondary.

You may come in last place but set 2 or 3 PRs so it was a good day.

[steve-ferreira]

Strength sports aren't as much a competition with each other as they are a competition with one's self.

this is a very true point...i go into a competition with a personal goal in mind for just about each event

so really the battle is against yourself trying to reach and beat your goal...a lot of the times, i have no idea how other competitors are doing overall or where i stand overall for that matter. buts its true, we all push & encourage eachother at competitions to perform at our best, even it means encouraging someone to beat you...its nice to see that in this sport...

[Ryan Rhodes]

I'll echo what everybody else said and add that a lot of us are friends and sometimes train together as well. I want to win, but that doesn't mean I don't want my friends/training partners to push themselves and to do their best as well. Another thing is that (most) competitions are fun and draw a good amount of spectators. It gets me pumped when the crowd is pumped up and loud, and it just feels natural to scream at the guy next to me (or just scream in general) "as needed". The atmosphere makes the general mood infectious; maybe primal sports are just more conducive to a mob-like mentality.

[John Cottrell]

I believe I can sum it up by saying its a Brotherhood! I played Semi-pro football until I was 32 and being the size I am I played DE, DT and Center. So through-out my football career I have never been in the so called lime-light but I bled, sweat, and fought with my fellow teammates and that is feeling I get now that I have discovered this sport. I am lucky to have found two guys in my area (Corey Clarke and Brian Worden) that have invited me to train with them. Each week I feel I have learned more and I continue to make gains, but honestly I am just as satisfied when I see my training partners achieve a PR as when I do. I am entering my first comp. in July at the Western NY comp and sure it would be nice to place but honestly I just want to have fun and meet more of my new "Brothers and Sisters".

[Andrew.Cook]

A lot in strength sports is you against the weight. I have entered contests I was pretty sure I wasn't going to win, but wanted to challenge myself and see how I did this time vs last time. Over all placing often comes secondary.

You may come in last place but set 2 or 3 PRs so it was a good day.

That's it right there for me. I go in with the idea that I'm going to outdo myself. Winning? Who cares. I want to improve, and I find that I am more frustrated by my own poor performance than I am by a low placing.

Plus I love to watch the sport, and what better place to watch than from right on the field with the competitors. It would be like loving football, and even if you weren't great why wouldn't you want to suit up and stand on the sidelines and cheer, maybe get out there on the turf and get plastered by one of the greats? Screw sitting in the stands.

[Jay Hagadorn]

Some great comments...

I believe for me, (Strongman particularly), gives me a sense of "team" even though it is an individual sport. We are part of something special most people can not or will not do...it is the most strenuous sport out there. My brother once asked me "Why the ___ do you do that (strongman)?" My response was "Because I can!" We persevere and we overcome. Because most everyone competing understands this, they root for you. I want to be my best, and I want my competition to be the best so there are no questions left at the end of the day. This helps me live my life without having more "what if" questions as I go through my days.

[mike pulcinella]

GREAT comments! I had a feeling this is what it was all about but it's cool hearing it from you guys. I think I get it better now.

I get caught up in it too. When I'm shooting I'm supposed to be quiet because I am close to the on-camera microphone. But very often at strongman contests I find myself screaming along with everyone else and nearly ruining the shot!!

[Adam Witzel]

I agree with everyone's points here.

Indeed Terry summed it up well.

There is no joy in winning a contest if you completely out class the competition. You go there expecting a fight, you've trained VERY hard for that fight. So when the fight is brutal and you win, victory is SWEET!

And on the other side of the coin, you don't want to beat someone simply because they weren't at their best, otherwise you are left to question whether it was a fluke, or because you worked your tail off.

[William {Dalton} Payne]

Because I know the other guy would so the same for me :p

[Jay Lee]

we all strive for competition :D without competition theirs nothing to tear our body down through pain to get stronger for. Even if its an individual sport, to reach such great weights is an accomplishment in itself. only something weight lifters could understand by going through the same pains as the ones you compete against. probably the only sport you can be friends with someone without even knowing them.

[Damian Hollis]

I always want to win. Who doesn't? But just to compete, to be around like minded people is great and worth every drop of blood, sweat and puke I have experienced. Everyone has their own agenda in team sports, here, the sport is our agenda, and seeing it grow.
Seeing our brothers and sisters get stronger and faster so we have to get stronger and faster, so we have to keep setting goals and reaching them...a life lesson most never learn.

[jay lyttle]

terry is spot on! and i always cheer on my opponets, if i push them to a PR it also pushes me to gun for a PR to beat em' and if not, i dont consider losing to the better man that day a loss as much as a learning experiance!

[Barney Shannon]

my opinion is that strength sports are very hard to compete in and we all respect each other very much. Also we're impressed by great feats of strength so if someone beats you by doing something great that you are pleased to just witness something impressive

That's it right there. :YT: