One of the most debated and controversial topics in the world of sports is the idea of auto racing not being a "real sport."
Sport - an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
You may be questioning the physical exertion part of auto racing. I am happy to bring you a post with answers. From the outside, driving a racecar seems like light work, but it is what is on the inside of the car that truly defines auto racing as a sport. I realize everyone is going to disagree, but I thought I would give a little information to open your eyes. The stamina and skill of the race car driver is phenomenal.
Brain:
The brain is a extremely complex muscle. When adding speeds up to 200 mph, the brain starts to get nervous. A jumble of thoughts pierce a driver's brain at each moment of the race. It is an emotionally draining experience. It takes time to train a race car driver's brain to adjust to the adrenaline of these high speeds and emotions. Many drivers use yoga and different breathing techniques to control the brain's energy in the race car.
Eyes:
The eyes play a crucial role during a 3 hour long race. Scanning the track and the surrounding cars will strain the eyes, not to mention the bright media posters on the sidelines. A driver has to be alert and focused during the whole race.
Neck:
The neck is put through an EXTREME amount of pressure in the race car. The human head weighs about the weight of a bowling ball. During a race, drivers can experience up to 5 gs. If you ever watch an in-car camera shot of a driver during a race, you will notice how the head jerks back and forth. This goes on for the duration of the race. You can't just jump into a race car for 3 hours without some sort of training. Along with intense workouts, former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher used to put on a weighted helmet while watching TV. It helped build the neck muscle to allow him to be strong enough to handle the pressure in the cockpit. Here is a little fun fact; Most drivers have necks just like linebackers. Have I convinced you yet?
Heart:
Racers need to have great cardiovascular condition in order to make it through the race. The heart works about as much as a marathon runner. Heat is a huge factor in this also. When the car is anywhere from 150-180 degrees it works the body and mind even harder.
You see, along with working the legs (pushing the brake can feel like pushing 300 lbs), race car drivers are constantly working their bodies through the duration of race. And the races are not quick. Many football and baseball players have breaks during the game, allowing their body to recoup from all the stress. Race cars don't get intermissions. If the information on these key parts of physical exertion didn't convince you then nothing will. As far as the entertainment side of the definition, I can tell you racing is nothing short of entertaining. If you are an anti-auto racing type of person, I challenge you to watch one race. Give it a shot. It just might be more exciting than you expected. Personally, I will never get tired of watching this sport. My respect for these athletes, yes I said athletes, is beyond great. Every sport requires different skills and abilities. Whether you are on the field, in the pool or on the racetrack. From now on, let's just keep calm and enjoy sports.
Drama free.
"But unless you've trained your heart like a distance runner, built your muscles like a football player, and conditioned your body to withstand 150-degree heat, you'd probably kill yourself and several bystanders by the third turn." - Kristin Philipkoski
Sport - an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
You may be questioning the physical exertion part of auto racing. I am happy to bring you a post with answers. From the outside, driving a racecar seems like light work, but it is what is on the inside of the car that truly defines auto racing as a sport. I realize everyone is going to disagree, but I thought I would give a little information to open your eyes. The stamina and skill of the race car driver is phenomenal.
Brain:
The brain is a extremely complex muscle. When adding speeds up to 200 mph, the brain starts to get nervous. A jumble of thoughts pierce a driver's brain at each moment of the race. It is an emotionally draining experience. It takes time to train a race car driver's brain to adjust to the adrenaline of these high speeds and emotions. Many drivers use yoga and different breathing techniques to control the brain's energy in the race car.
Eyes:
Neck:
The neck is put through an EXTREME amount of pressure in the race car. The human head weighs about the weight of a bowling ball. During a race, drivers can experience up to 5 gs. If you ever watch an in-car camera shot of a driver during a race, you will notice how the head jerks back and forth. This goes on for the duration of the race. You can't just jump into a race car for 3 hours without some sort of training. Along with intense workouts, former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher used to put on a weighted helmet while watching TV. It helped build the neck muscle to allow him to be strong enough to handle the pressure in the cockpit. Here is a little fun fact; Most drivers have necks just like linebackers. Have I convinced you yet?
Heart:
Racers need to have great cardiovascular condition in order to make it through the race. The heart works about as much as a marathon runner. Heat is a huge factor in this also. When the car is anywhere from 150-180 degrees it works the body and mind even harder.
You see, along with working the legs (pushing the brake can feel like pushing 300 lbs), race car drivers are constantly working their bodies through the duration of race. And the races are not quick. Many football and baseball players have breaks during the game, allowing their body to recoup from all the stress. Race cars don't get intermissions. If the information on these key parts of physical exertion didn't convince you then nothing will. As far as the entertainment side of the definition, I can tell you racing is nothing short of entertaining. If you are an anti-auto racing type of person, I challenge you to watch one race. Give it a shot. It just might be more exciting than you expected. Personally, I will never get tired of watching this sport. My respect for these athletes, yes I said athletes, is beyond great. Every sport requires different skills and abilities. Whether you are on the field, in the pool or on the racetrack. From now on, let's just keep calm and enjoy sports.
Drama free.
"But unless you've trained your heart like a distance runner, built your muscles like a football player, and conditioned your body to withstand 150-degree heat, you'd probably kill yourself and several bystanders by the third turn." - Kristin Philipkoski
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