THE DEAN MACHINE Posted February 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) Fitness can play a massive part in being mentally prepared. It can install confidence. I think you're quite of touch with this Dean, the younger generation, whom the sport desperately needs to attract can relate to fitness. as I've said yes I'm getting old and maybe it's a dated view ,this pro althlete crap might apeal to the riders but it doesn't do anything for the fans and that brings us to the same old point , who is the most important people in speedway ,riders or fans ?because the sport is currently being run by the riders for the riders and the fans are expected to pay for it and it makes a total joke of the fitness stuff when all you see from the young generation is diabeties in a can being drunk Don't think anyone would argue that being fit was anything but a good thing. It's just that the modern, professional, sanitised version of Speedway is less appealing to the average spectator than the unsilenced, smelly version of the sport which existed in the 60s and 70s. The fitness regime is just one symptom of the professionalism which has reduced the appeal of the sport in my opinion.this is point I'm trying to make Edited February 11, 2017 by THE DEAN MACHINE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted February 11, 2017 Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 Well, I've been a fan in the 60's and 70's and even before that. I'd still prefer to see a nice fit rider than some scruffy sod like Graham Plant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Snackette Posted February 14, 2017 Report Share Posted February 14, 2017 Times change, as does our knowledge of the impact of health and fitness on our everyday lives. In the 1940s and 1950s, doctors used to recommend that smoking was actually good for both the baby and the expecting mother because it was so relaxing. It wasn’t until the 1960s that their findings on smoking and the impact on the fetus were made available to the wider public. And even then, it wasn’t until the 1980s that a nationwide campaign kicked off to get mothers to put out their cigarettes. Is it any wonder that the majority our sporting heroes of the 50's, 60's and 70's were less than super fit athletes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted February 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2017 (edited) Times change, as does our knowledge of the impact of health and fitness on our everyday lives. In the 1940s and 1950s, doctors used to recommend that smoking was actually good for both the baby and the expecting mother because it was so relaxing. [/size]It wasn’t until the 1960s that their findings on smoking and the impact on the fetus were made available to the wider public. And even then, it wasn’t until the 1980s that a nationwide campaign kicked off to get mothers to put out their cigarettes.[/size] Is it any wonder that the majority our sporting heroes of the 50's, 60's and 70's were less than super fit athletes? [/size] and you don't have to be super fit to ride a speedway bike and be successful infact the muscles used in a gym are not the ones used when you ride , you only need to be race and mentally fit and have top equipment and you will go a long way in this sport and you get that by racing and winning , if you are not a gym sort of person of which there are plenty in the sport being forced to do it by others will be having an adverse effect on your mental racing state , im not saying you shouldn't go to the gym everyday if that floats your boat but if it doesn't then don't force it on others, this week I was watching a documentary on john McGuiness and he was talking about this , he said he doesn't do fitness , he doesn't like it and even he admits he is slightly over weight and yet he is a world beater , why ? because he is mentally strong and has top equipment , you don't need to be a super althete to be a motorcycle champion Edited February 14, 2017 by THE DEAN MACHINE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 If many riders now feel keeping fit and eating right helps them be better riders then so be it, who are we to question them? Of course they also need to give thought to the sport and what they can give to it to entice fans to watch them. I do wonder if they ever think like this or simply how they can maximise their earning potential from the sport full stop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DEAN MACHINE Posted February 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 If many riders now feel keeping fit and eating right helps them be better riders then so be it, who are we to question them? Of course they also need to give thought to the sport and what they can give to it to entice fans to watch them. I do wonder if they ever think like this or simply how they can maximise their earning potential from the sport full stop? on the whole modern riders do care about the sport and it's fans but there is a definite change in attitudes in riders of today , have a conversation with a rider from the 70s 80s or even the 90s and you can feel their passion of being a rider and the sport ,you don't get that passion very much today , I read one rider who said he preferred another sport but he gets paid to do speedway so speedway it is , but I have met a couple who couldn't care less , it's just about the money for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny the spud Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 And I know riders from the 80's, (one of them an England captain) who said exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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