So, how come you were practicing that hard when you were seven? Be honest: was your interest in gymnastics your interest, or was it one of your parents who "encouraged" you to compete that hard?

I hate seeing little kids pushed into that kind of competition. Incidentally, how does your body feel, now? How are the joints doing? Any incipient arthritis?

Any parent who coerces their child into vicariously fulfilling their own ambition should be prosecuted for abuse.

Do you play in the NFL, NHL, NBA or baseball's Major Leagues, or British Premier League soccer? If you don't YOU are not an athlete, you too are a pathetic poser.

As a very unaccomplished and ungifted leisure athlete, I could harbor ugly feelings of resentment against a serious athlete who is enough of a snob to think that they have nothing in common with me.

And I could be forgiven for such feelings if that serious athlete were dense enough not to realize that her importance -- i.e., the recognition of her activity as a pursuit of human excellence and not some freakish self-indulgent abuse of one's body -- depends on the millions of "amateur" enthusiasts and fans like me watching and participating in the sport.

And if Sey can't admit to any shame about her "ugly" feelings, then calling them ugly is just rhetorical manipulation. She isn't apologizing for anything, and that's really ugly.

"...that I prefer to keep under [b]raps.[/b] But since I decided to write a book..."

A book which one hopes was better edited than this piece.

I never had gymnastics lessons. I never swam. There was no money for lessons of any type. You don't know what it's like to be poor.

You may need to say this, but that doesn't mean I need to hear it.

Most serious professionals bristle slightly at the attempts of 'amateurs' (that means people who do things just because they LOVE to, btw) to rub elbows with their profession by saying "Oh, I did that too!" The thing is, most people don't have contempt for amateurs. They smile, accept the connection as a genuine attempt to find common ground with another human, and move on with their lives.

I have heard it said that people who suffer trauma before adulthood get stuck emotionally at the age when they suffered the trauma. So I'm not being catty when I suggest you get therapy. Your angry reaction is not within your control, and I don't blame you for it. But you don't NEED to keep having that reaction. It sounds like you need to heal. I have enjoyed your other posts very much - I'd never opened a single post from the sports section before I started reading yours - and I wish you well!

Well Jen,

There's not much difference between your attitude towards true amateur athletes and that of male professional athletes towards their female counterparts. You can hear their condescension in their voices on a daily basis on any sports talk show.

Perhaps your attitude comes from not playing a team sport where you are dependent on the efforts and support of other athletes who are not all equally gifted. I have played baseball nearly my whole life and we were all humbled by the skills of a teammate who had played briefly at the major league level. But that same team voted another highly talented player off the team after a confrontation between him and the least skilled member. The difference was heart. One guy would give everything he had for the team and the other gave everything for himself.

When I was in high school I would compare my track times to the Olympic records for women, to my advantage through the 800 meters. It was a foolish and vain enterprise and certainly did not make me the true athlete. I have seen amateur athletes make plays, and execute moves as good as any professional in the world. The primary difference is that they cannot do it on a routine basis, or they lack the physical stature to compete at the next level. Be grateful for what you had, and gracious in your acknowledgement of others less than perfect efforts. Your article reeks of false confession, while maintaining a boastful perspective on your past accomplishments.

I think that what you have is called narcissism. At the least, you sure sound full of yourself. Not only do you feel that you have a special understanding of dedication and sacrifice - in a way that no one else does - you also feel that you are meaner and jerkier than anyone else. Yeah, nobody understand resentment the way you can. Sigh.You just have to excel at everything? Is that it? Be the best athlete, the jerkiest jerk?

You're "not convinced that those who haven't ever endured the trials and brutal training regimen required to compete at the Olympic level really understand what is entailed."?

1st off, I'm pretty sure nobody is trying to convince you of anything. Really. Did anyone ever actually tell you that they DO understand what it takes? Remember though, that someone mentioning that they once participated in a sport doesn't mean they are saying they understand what it takes to be a champion, maybe you just confused those two things.

2nd - Are you shitting me? -

those who haven't had cancer don't really understand what chemotherapy entails.

those who haven't been raped don't really understand about being a victim.

those who haven't had children don't really understand unconditional love.

those who have children don't really understand the heartbreak of infertility

those who haven't won the lottery don't really understand the burdens of fast wealth.

those who haven't been a refugee don't really understand the realities of fleeing for one's life.

those who were never on Survivor don't really understand the relief of immunity

those who haven't fought in a war don't really understand shell-shock.

Do I need to continue? We all fight battles, we all struggle to win, it's just that most of us don't lust for the glory that you seem to crave. Many of us overcome fears, work through pain, give up the lives we want, and yes, even manage to come through in the clutch regardless of recognition or reward. Sometimes, some of us even go through all that - not for our own benefit - but for the benefit of other people.