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Action sports athletes, with "learning disabilities"

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PopsicleStand
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 147
so, the Windells academy update made me post this. I have a strong interest in psychology, and people in general I guess, and I have been thinking about this topic for a very long time. Im not sure how to go about this, but maybe im just looking for people to confirm what I have been thinking.

Mr. Hanley had said that the academy recognizes that many action sports athletes have learning disabilities. I agree. From what I have seen in my limited knowledge of pro athletes personal lives (trust me, im the number one hater on Wallisch threads), I feel like there really might be a common thread there. I have a few things that stand out in my mind. These athletes are so successful at what they do, simply because the dedication they have to their sport can border on obsession. Prime example, Michael Phelps. Two, this explains their risk-taking personalities (skiing being an easy example, Phelps' DD charge and partying even though his money depends on being clean cut and wholesome). I also feel, and this is personal so you can disagree if you please, but that many of these "ultra-dedicated" athletes use substances or ESPECIALLY their sport, to tame their minds. This is a tell tale sign of a learning disability (im making a wide grouping here).

Think about the prevalence of Marijuana in skiing (or Phelps again haha), or the need to ride or swim or whatever, to feel better (think of Travis Rice's voice-over in the last scene of That's It, That's All). TRice is a perfect example to me. Difficult child, one track mind, can only be pacified by snowboarding, always striving for something better, uber-successful.


anyhow, im not sure if i grouped my thoughts very well, but i wonder if anyone else has ever thought this, or agrees with me.
Jun 23 2009 10:08PM
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Uncle.Badness
Posts: 2545 - Karma: 55
You make a good point, quality read.
Jun 23 2009 10:14PM
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GhostfaceKillah
Posts: 3398 - Karma: 10
would NFL athletes who coasted through high-school and college because of their football skills be considered "learning disabled"?

or is this a complex restricted to extreme sports athletes who are addicted to adrenaline
Jun 23 2009 10:15PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7821 - Karma: 21,850
This thread reminds me of the guy on here who did a survey and wrote a sizeable psych thesis or something on risk-taking behaviours in athletes..........I didn't read the entire thing, but it was pretty interesting. I can't think which memeber it was or what the survey/thesis was called off the top of my head, but it might be worth looking at if you can find it.
Jun 23 2009 10:15PM
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PopsicleStand
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 147
well, im not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, cause im not really addressing academics per se, and i didnt really want to use the words "mental illness" instead of learning disabled, simply because i feel like my thread would get shot down because of it. i think you take many/most people who have reached the top echelon of whatever they do (anything), and you get a bit of mental illness. from Trice who hikes a jump till he gets what he wants, tanner competing pipe, the dude out there knocking down free throws till he is the best out there, the guy who works out until he is the most ferocious guy on the football field, the CEO who climbed the ladder from the bottom.

Im not sure if this is really what i wanted to talk about though. where the line between dedication and mental illness exists, and the corresponding proof in the real world. i guess im trying hard to kind of show how it exists in action sports.
Jun 23 2009 10:21PM
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pat-rickdaigle
Posts: 8556 - Karma: 1,020

alot of great artists had issues simular to this..i guess we're just artist of our time. 

Jun 23 2009 10:25PM
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GhostfaceKillah
Posts: 3398 - Karma: 10
i understand your point a little better now. an athletes extreme dedication (borderline addiction) makes it more and more difficult to relate to "reality", and are more inclined to do risky things which will get the adrenaline pumping

what about retired NFL players battling depression for various reasons (separation from football, prior concussions, drug abuse, etc...)
Jun 23 2009 10:30PM
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Blandct
Posts: 1858 - Karma: 37
Meh i more so feel they just never gave a fuck about there grades...

Jun 23 2009 10:42PM
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GhostfaceKillah
Posts: 3398 - Karma: 10
well they have been babied their entire scholastic career, and never really needed to care about their grades.... lets not hijack this guys thread tho
Jun 23 2009 10:43PM
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Shlogan
Posts: 4942 - Karma: 430
im pretty sure that im not quite understanding all that has been said, but another thing that popped into my head besides phelps would be the former world champ womens DHer who was just arrested with like 400 pounds of weed. could it be that the mental illness is does not start and end on the mountain, but goes on forever, making them turn to drugs when they can no longer do what they love? i think so.
Jun 23 2009 10:49PM
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_CC_
Posts: 3890 - Karma: 747
this is actually a really good point.  i think alot of people who are seriously commited to a sport or anything else have this sort of 'one track mind' thing.  But learning disabilities are very overdiagnosed these days but nonetheless it is very possible that alot of skiers have learning disabilities.  im sure if you asked someone who never even knew skiers could hit jumps they'd think you would have to have something wrong with your head to try that....maybe we do
Jun 23 2009 10:54PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
i think that if people are struggling in school, sending them to a ski school where there will be constant distractions to do online courses is probably one the worst things for their schooling. not saying its not a cool place but i dont think its better for the people struggling
Jun 23 2009 11:30PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
this thread has too many words.
Jun 23 2009 11:50PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Alot of pro skiers seemed to be going to university when there careers took off, like Tom Wallisch and Steve Stepp
Jun 24 2009 1:13AM
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selkirks
Posts: 1978 - Karma: 59
Yes. Quality post.

But to add in my own thoughts, I think this thread -- and the comment by the Predident of Windell's Academy -- is pretty stereotypical. The athlete just by extension is not focusing as hard on academics, because they're focusing on athletics. Most don't have learning disabilities. They're just focusing more on athletics. Which is exactly why Windell's Academy, though dope, isn't a solution to this problem. Ideally, Windell's would have a staff of teachers on-site who aren't elsewhere over the Internet. Say what you want about online courses, but they just don't compare to actual, one-on-one teaching.
Jun 24 2009 1:28AM
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WikiWiki
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 426
Well for some reason I do believe that action sports attract people who have dissabilites. this is not to call every person who does them is retarded, but it does make sense. Take my little brother for instance. He has adhd. He destroys in sports like Skiing. BMX, downhill mountain biking, wakeboarding.  basically anthing extreme. When he plays sports like Baseball or shit liek thatl he is very good as well. The only problem is that he hates sitting in an outfield wating forever for only a couple of seconds of action. I think this can be said about most people in the extreme sports catergory. Its all about excitement and constantly being on edge.
Jun 24 2009 1:36AM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,085
Makes a lot of sense.
Jun 24 2009 3:02AM
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ZavierV
Posts: 5077 - Karma: 100
I know a lot of talented skiers who may not necessarily be professional athletes (however, one made a cameo in line traveling circus episode 8, ) who live and breathe skiing but are still lawyers, engineers, biologists, etc...

I'm not sure how I feel about your "learning disabilities" hypothesis.
Jun 24 2009 3:13AM
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bappelabb
Posts: 282 - Karma: 131
+ karma to the thread creator for bringing up such an issue, very interesting.

I think that it is important to keep in mind that every individual on this planet has a certain set of gifts or special abilities that he/she makes use of so that the person obtains succes. Very rarely are there persons who are able to master any type of sport or education. Another example of such an athlete could be Mike Tyson (just watched a funny vid of him and the shit he says the other day) or Michael Vick, the QB from the Falcons who was sentenced to jail for dog fights? How on earth can someone be that stupid

Cool that you are studying psychology and understand the tendencies within the borders of this subject. It is kind of hard to provide some valid information to this thread since this matter of discussion is very hard to define, but I think that you have addressed something that needs to be brought up to the surface for further discussion.

Thank you!

BTW I hope this helps in some way, if not then you all should correct me

Jun 24 2009 5:09AM
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