Swimming a sport?

[Indurrago]

I read a recent letter mentioning that swimmers aren't appreciated and the writer consider swimming a sport. Yes, I know its in the Olympics along with some other awkward activities that hold little popularity even with sportsified countries. What do you guys think? I think when its treated as with some kind of competition in my mind in that sense its a sport. But there are plenty of places where knowing how to swimming is a essential survival skill more than a recreation.

[Fat Man]

I read a recent letter mentioning that swimmers aren't appreciated and the writer consider swimming a sport. Yes, I know its in the Olympics along with some other awkward activities that hold little popularity even with sportsified countries. What do you guys think? I think when its treated as with some kind of competition in my mind in that sense its a sport. But there are plenty of places where knowing how to swimming is a essential survival skill more than a recreation.

I would say, that anything that involves physical activity that is also competitive is a sport.

Now, just enjoying a nice swim in a lake, or in your pool, that is not a sport, but competitive swimming as in the Olympics is a sport.

OK, not all sports are bad, such as skeet shooting, archery, fencing, etc. etc. These are some examples of good sports. I could probably think of some more examples.

But football, basketball, hockey, and to a lesser extent, baseball, these have ceased to be mere sports because of the violence involved among the players, and especially among the sports fans. It's like these sports have become almost like a religion, and to not like these sports is almost an act of blasphemy!

When it comes to violence, sometimes the fans are even worse than the jocks.

When I was bullied around in school, it wasn't just the jocks who were bullies, most often it was the ones who were sports fans.

Now, why can't people just enjoy their favorite sports without harassing those who don't happen to like the same things?

But no!

Some sports fans just can't except the fact that not everybody likes their favorite sport, and just like religious fanatics, they will attack anyone who doesn't worship at the same alter.

I'm really surprised that people don't get dragged out of their homes and burned at the stake for committing the ultimate blasphemy of not liking sports.

Yeah! I swear, sometimes I think that I can almost hear the logs crackling at my feet!

[Indurrago]

One of my examples was those who fish for a living and often have to go on boats or rafts of some sort would would benefit greatly from knowing how to swim and not because its "fun" or "healthy" do swim but being an able swimming becomes a matter of life or death. Especially if you fish alone and your boat flips over from whatever reason. There was this show called "River Monsters," I'm not really a fan of fishing btw but one episode the host who is a veteran fisherman went to fish in an African country where many dangers came with trying to fish; Hippos, crocodiles, and other fisher-man killing each other for fish. Also I came close to experiencing drowning, no thanks to my "amazing" swimming ability. To summarize most of the time swimming is just for recreational use aka "sport" and there are times when its a fight for you very life...not fun at all.

[Fat Man]

One of my examples was those who fish for a living and often have to go on boats or rafts of some sort would would benefit greatly from knowing how to swim and not because its "fun" or "healthy" do swim but being an able swimming becomes a matter of life or death. Especially if you fish alone and your boat flips over from whatever reason. There was this show called "River Monsters," I'm not really a fan of fishing btw but one episode the host who is a veteran fisherman went to fish in an African country where many dangers came with trying to fish; Hippos, crocodiles, and other fisher-man killing each other for fish. Also I came close to experiencing drowning, no thanks to my "amazing" swimming ability. To summarize most of the time swimming is just for recreational use aka "sport" and there are times when its a fight for you very life...not fun at all.

I know what you mean. Learning to swim is very important and it can save your life.

Actually, we fat people make the best long distance swimmers. We can't swim very fast, we're not built for speed, but we can go the distance. We're much better at endurance than speed.

For example:

The first person (and I believe the only) to successfully swim across the cold waters of the Bearing Straits between Alaska and the former Soviet Union was a beautiful young fat lady 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed about 300 pounds.

I once swam a mile across a lake myself. I love being in water. It makes me feel almost weightless.

Actually, we fat people don't swim . . . we float.

Also, we don't walk . . . we waddle.

And we don't sleep . . . we hibernate.

[Indurrago]

Actually, we fat people don't swim . . . we float.

Also, we don't walk . . . we waddle.

And we don't sleep . . . we hibernate.

LOL!!!! Waddle? I doubt that. Floating is the easy part imo.

[Fat Man]

Actually, we fat people don't swim . . . we float.

Also, we don't walk . . . we waddle.

And we don't sleep . . . we hibernate.

LOL!!!! Waddle? I doubt that. Floating is the easy part imo.

Yeah! I actually waddle when I walk. I mean, like, seriously!

I weigh 400 pounds.

[Lewis]

When I was in Year 10 and 11, I chose to do swimming for Games (It was either that or Football or Rugby or Cricket or some other horror ) also when you did swimming you got an extra half an hour free time. I enjoyed swimming because it was more focused on exercise and was not as competative as the other sports.