Creating Safety: Tolerance and Athlete Training.

Being an athlete, even the weekend warrior type, has always had its perks. Better Health, increased self-esteem, positive outlook on Life, and even an improved sex life! Compared to our couch potato relatives slowly dying of lifestyle diseases like Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease, an athlete comes out way ahead.

These perks come at the simple price of work. Just some dedicated effort and you’re in business. Despite all marketing claims to the contrary, buying equipment or supplements does not make you an athlete. Getting your body engaged in your event on a regular basis does.

So if that is the difference between an athlete and a non-athlete, why are we having such a difficult time lately with these groups getting along?

Stages of Athlete Development

As a younger athlete, our invincibility was something we trumpeted to all within earshot. A sense of immortality lies just under the surface of everything we do. Risk-taking was cool and injuries become the badge by which we demonstrate to the world that we are coming.

With time comes inevitable loss and critical reflection. We mature. Invincibility gave way to caution and oft times just letting the crazy ones go on their way. I will ride my own race, thank you very much.

The injuries still come but are often a result of expecting the performance of a 20-year-old body from a decades’ older one. Some dreams die more slowly than others.

For endurance athletes, we take to the outdoors to train or just keep fit. We also find that the world can sometimes be a small place. We share roads, paths, sidewalks, and fields with each other and everybody else.

Maybe it is the endorphins, or maybe it is our unapologetic horrible taste in making of loud colors and spandex look good, but athletes often approach their outdoor workouts with a sense of entitlement. Heads up – here I come.

Mostly we are tolerated by the general public but when we lose our willingness to play well with others on the roads, etc., we develop an image problem. When we become obnoxious when out in public, opinions turn.

We’ve seen it happen. Hotshot riders flying through red lights and stop signs. Groups not giving way when it would be safe to pass. Riders with a chip on their shoulder and an attitude of privilege to boot!

When we thumb our noses at the other folks, we become a problem in the minds of others.

Non-athlete Participation

Motorists are not innocent either. Bad decisions and actions abound on our streets and highways. Over 38,000 deaths in 2015 alone. And the majority of these where other motorists. When you do the math of 2000+ lbs. of vehicle vs. rider or runner, the odds are pretty much a given that the athlete loses in a big way. Don’t be the reason for the placement of another ghost bike alongside the road.

So motorists act on prejudices they have developed about athletes, athletes act on prejudices they have developed about motorists, which leads us to nowhere nice. A body count starts to develop. It’s a zero sum game, folks.

The Solution is Us

Be Courteous

We once knew how to get along with others, so we can always exert some of that wonderful freewill of ours and choose to care about one another again.

Follow the Rules

A very small number of us are paid to train and compete, so get real and be courteous when sharing the road or path. Our sport heroes get to compete on a closed course. You generally do not. So instead of flying through the 4-way stop astounding people with what a complete moron you are, try wowing them with your bike handling skills and perform a track stand. Don’t know how? Learn. And pay close attention to rule #5.

Be a help on the path. When approaching another person from behind, announce your intent. A simple “On your left” can go a long way in avoiding a surprise encounter. If you’re the one being passed, just keep the volume of your music down enough to where you can hear the other person approaching.

We are all in this together.

Thou Shalt Lighten Up

Goodness knows that there is lots of humor in human interactions. We all pull boneheaded stunts, given enough time. Enjoy this diversity that makes up our real world.

Smile and wave at the guy flipping you off. It confuses him and starts an entirely new conversation. Not an argument that pits angry response against angry response but one that says you might be crazier than him. When we take away the scripted emotions (I’m angry at you and now you get angry at me), what remains is that we are all human. We can always recognize that quality.

Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, “At the very least, you will be polite to them.”
― Patricia Briggs