No Such Thing as a Loser Anymore

[Sark79]

I met with a couple of mates today for lunch.  While we were chatting, the subject of one of their younger Brothers came up.  That morning, my mate had been to a sports event that his Brother had been competing in and his Brother had won all the events in his age group.  However unlike when I was a kid, all the entrants received a medal after the race had finished rather than just the top 3.  According to the organisers, there is no such thing as a loser anymore, it is called a deferred winner.

I have mixed feelings about this.  When I was younger, I had an obsessive desire to finnish first in any kind of sport.  Thankfully I am slightly calmer now. Part of me feels, if we wrap youngsters up in cotton wool and prevent them from seeing that sometimes their are losers, we will give them a false sense of reality.  However, it is never a nice feeling to fail at something, so I can kind of see the sense in making everyone "winners".

I had never heard of this until today. I was always under the impression that you either won or lost. It never dawned on me that everyone could be winners.  I do fear that Kids growing up will fail to develop a winners mentality though.

[patman]

yep.

not having winners and losers in sport and lessons early doors  means that children are not being prepared for real life where there are very much winners and losers and disappointment.
By letting them know or realise themselves  that they may not be especially great at some particular task it might open up other avenues that give fulfilment and development...failing at one thing does not make you a failure full stop.

as i understand it the reason mr cowell is liked by some americans is that he calls it as it is. In a society that doesnt tell the truth or couches it in falsehoods it leads to bitter disappointment at a later stage when the child suddenly realises they cant be a pop idol , doctor, lawyer, shuttle pilot that everyone tells them thay can do...and possibly by that stage they have lost the opportunity to do something that is of value and can give them a sense of achievment in other directions.

life can be hard is a good lesson to learn early and bounce back from...how many people found out that they were crap at maths , arithemetic, english, football , rugby, art etc at school and this got them focussed on something they could do leading to a rich life(and i dont mean necessarily money).

we all contribute just in different ways...achievement in anything is to be applauded and excellence is great.
everybody is a winner and gets a medal is not the way to help kids grow up

[Rod Paradise]

How f***ing think do they think the kids are? They all know who won!!

It's the utter bull we dish out to the kids that means they don't trust adults when it comes to important things.

Sex before marriage/16 is bad - Aye right!!
Drugs are bad - Why do so many take them then?

Time to stop treating kids like they're stupid & use some flaming reason rather than lies and bull.....  

[bolt pp]

I'm a loser through and through and i'm not letting any level of political corectness take that away from me!!

[The Baron]

This is exactly what Micheal Johnson is talking about when he says Britain rewards mediocrity and that is why our sport suffers.

[thetank]

That and we need to start going on the b of the bang 

I like Michael Johnson, a no nonsense pundit.

[The Baron]

I like Michael Johnson, a no nonsense pundit.

The ONLY one on the British commentary team.

Actually, Brendan Foster is useful for the distance stuff.

The rest are shocking.

[ericstoner]

you've got to give the children the nouse to reaize, that even thogh the school dishes out medals like confetti,the kids themselves know there are winners and there are 'winners'

Those kids that strive to do well will do the same in the real world.Those who are taken in by false praise and promises, will remain losers all there lives.
Like most things it will sort itself out, and those who interfer with our children's lives wil lone day need the positive gogetters, when they are supping their warm tea in their dotage.

 

[Sark79]

Talking of Athletics.  Do you agree with Dwain Chambers inclusion in the British team?   My opinion is that he has served his ban and as a result any past crimes should be forgotten.  Ok, other team members have been training for the time he was banned and have been left out in favour of him. But he is faster and that's what counts at the end of the day .

[The Baron]

Talking of Athletics.  Do you agree with Dwain Chambers inclusion in the British team?   My opinion is that he has served his ban and as a result any past crimes should be forgotten.  Ok, other team members have been training for the time he was banned and have been left out in favour of him. But he is faster and that's what counts at the end of the day .

I agree but it is not forgotten. He will be tested at every major meet for the rest of his career and rightly so IMO.

[Sark79]

Yea absolutely, but I feel it is good he has been given a second chance.

[I, Zimbra]

This reminds me of something; in the last year of my primary school (1988), the powers that be decided to completely overhaul the summer Sports Day.

Instead of regular events, they put on a roster of different mini-trials, vaguely athletic in nature (which is to say that some involved running quickly, jumping over things, and what-have-you) but utterly non-competitive - each class divided into little teams with no winners and no losers. It was almost like the grown-ups were making us run around for their pleasure and amusement. Think "gerbils on a wheel in a cage".

Boy was I pissed off at being made to do that; the previous year I'd been second in the 100m and the 1500m, and I was determined to win something that year, only to have my chance of glory removed!

[Swordpoker]

This is exactly what Micheal Johnson is talking about when he says Britain rewards mediocrity and that is why our sport suffers.

I train actors in stage fighting in a couple of colleges. In one I have an appraisal every other year. This appraisal is officially called 'mediation'. Personally, I'd like it to be called 'excellence' but I can't be seen to be getting ahead of myself. As long as i prove myself to be mediocre I keep my job.

[Graham C]

A few of the schools we deal with are like this.  I think it's wrong.  You need to encourage kids to excel in things they are good at an encourage those that aren't do good to find other things that they are good at or enjoy more.

Just my opinion

[Claw75]

bonkers