[at-l] Re: Sport (or not!)

[Bror8588 at aol.com (Bror8588@aol.com)]

In a message dated 4/19/04 08:58:59 Eastern Daylight Time, 
jbullar1@twcny.rr.com writes:


> Those of a competitive mind seem to be able to turn everything into a 
> competition but to be a 'sport' (IMHO) there should be a recognized system 
> of keeping score. Between the number of miles, purity of the hike, 
> slackpacking vs carrying everything, etc., etc. there isn't even consensus 
> 

Each year at the Gathering of ALDHA there is a call out for those who "have 
completed the AT, and on down to those "who have completed less than 500 miles 
of the AT" and from where I was sitting there was a group sitting behind me 
who were making comments regarding the accomplishments of those standing.  Seems 
to me that there was a bit of derisive competition.  

When Lee Trevino was asked how he could compete against his son when they 
played a game of golf he replied that he wasn't competing against his son but 
against his own previous score.  Is not that the measure that most hikers use?  
To do better than the last time;  or to capture the views, or to bag the peaks, 
or to check off the distance covered,  or to keep up with a group or 
individual along the way.

Skylander