Several years ago following a Chicago Marathon (possibly after the race where he had set a world record time), winner Khalid Khannouchi commented on the rest of the pack -- those running the marathon in 4 or 5 or more hours. He said something like he couldn't believe that people could run for that long a time and he was impressed that anyone could do it. I have no argument with Ms Sey's perspective -- she can look at sports dabblers and wannabes any way she chooses. But it didn't seem like Mr. Khannouchi's comments -- which seemed very genuine -- undermined his accomplishments or took away anything from the years he, too, must have spent in intense preparation. To me they said -- even after all that, after all that training, all those sacrifices and injuries, here's a person that flat out loves his sport and kind of digs that there are all kinds of people who want to play it. We're not all genetically gifted, disciplined, advantaged or driven -- some of just love to play or love to remember now and then a time when we did.

... how come she doesn't have any Olympic gold medals and nobody has ever heard of her till now?

Nice try, Jennifer, but you're just another bitter also-ran taking out your failure on others.

Call me when you win an Olympic gold medal, you whiney loser! LOL

But that's just bullshit.

The average Olympics viewer doesn't even watch gymnastics, competitive swimming, etc. except for once every 4 years. That's because we know that we are seeing EXCEPTIONAL talent, skill, and commitment when we watch Olympic competition.

Whatever your feelings are about your previous involvement in "elite" sports, be careful of the thoughts and feelings you are projecting onto others.

Gee, I'm so deeply sorry that most of us opted to focus on our educations instead of popping painkillers and trading purging tips. I had no idea I had so wasted my life.

Note to Editor: Why, please tell, are we enabling the self-pitying whining of this also-ran?

...then I'd like to know what you wish of me.

I watch the gymnasts and swimmers with my wife. I yell "Go our chicks!" at the TV screen. I fully realize that all of them are doing things vastly beyond my own abilities and even potential. Any one of them has endured enough pain to give birth ten dozen times, and has kept at it in spite.

I feel badly for those whose years of hard work resolve to a single mishap, mistake or injury. I hope none of them are taking permanent bodily or psychological harm from the process, but I fear some of them are. Evidently it makes some misanthropic and bitter, and I hope they can get something more joyful out of life than that.

What am I doing wrong?

"maybe I'm defensively projecting"

Gee--you think so?

To my mind, this article is evidence of how traumatic it must be for kids to push (or be pushed) so hard in high-level sports, and the other hyper-competitive arenas they have to fight in. There's been some damage done, here.

The attitude reminds me of a bitter old soldier complaining that his friends died so young people could burn the flag and smoke weed. But sports shouldn't be like war.

Sounds like the author needs some help getting over her regrets. Either own up that she had reasons for engaging in that level of competition that she found valuable and worthwhile, and focus on those positive memories; or forgive her parents and coaches for pushing her so hard that she's still upset about it.

Whether that's true or not, this attitude of superiority and contempt is a danger sign. Who knows what else these people have done or been through in their lives -- who are you to judge them? Why be threatened that their words could be interpreted as devaluing your efforts -- do you really need them to acknowledge their inferiority to you for your work to be worthwhile? These folks aren't doing anything wrong, and to have such a strong reaction in this situation is a clear indication that there's something going on under the surface that needs to be brought into the open and dealt with.

Come on guys, be fair! Ms. Sey was the US national champion in 1986 and competed internationally a number of times, which is a pretty fine achievement, even if she didn't win any medals in the World Championships or Olympics.

Her book was interesting in that it brought to public attention just how bordering on abusive is the training that young girl gymnasts get if they want to compete at the highest level, even to the extent of doctors clearing athletes with freshly broken ankles to compete, which is truly scandalous.

...that the fans are the only reason any sport matters in the first place.

You can do one thousand perfect uneven bars routines in an empty gymnasium in a row. You can also make a perfect pot of coffee alone in your kitchen. Who cares, if nobody cares?

The fact that you can do a perfect uneven bars routine when the entire world is watching is what inheres that act with significance.

But oh, yeah, you can't...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oo7umomoxQ

...that the fans are the only reason any sport matters in the first place.

You can do one thousand perfect uneven bars routines in an empty gymnasium in a row. You can also make a perfect pot of coffee alone in your kitchen. Who cares, if nobody cares?

The fact that you can do a perfect uneven bars routine when the entire world is watching is what inheres that act with significance.

But oh, yeah, you can't...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oo7umomoxQ

Wow Jennifer--you sure seem like an annoying person. Why do you think anyone really cares what people do in the Olympics--(oh boy! you can flip around a bar or swim really fast!..uh, so what?). Olympic athletes have become celebrities in their tightly cloistered worlds and unfortunately this seems to have created some athletes (and ex-athletes) that have developed the self-important attitude of media celebrities. Wake up Jennifer! All you've done is to waste years of your life obsessively exercising so that for one propaganda filled media moment, the corporate heads of NBC can tell you your a glitzy inspiration...although who the hell knows what you're an inspiration for--perhaps an inspiration for parents that seek to warp their children with bizarre, all day mind killing exercise.