Hello Again

I am back, probably for a limited engagement, but I am back. I have been away, I have been busy. Busy training (because I love it), busy trying to develop racers to the best of my ability and knowledge (because I love it), busy racing my bike myself (because I love it) and busy working (because I have to but also because I am fortunate enough to earn an income doing things I love like direct a bike team and coach kids in climbing).

Because of some back and forth between myself and The Hedge Fund I directed him towards the Gym Jones site and Mark Twight. Twight and his writings have always resonated with me. Hedge already knew about Twight, which didn't surprise me because Hedge is not afraid of hard work and he is afraid of complacency and mediocrity.

I decided to check out the Gym Jones site again and came across this. I have probably posted this before. Well, I am going to post it again, because I like it.

In Defense of Elitism
As if it requires defending …Gym Jones is exclusive. We exclude. It is not a question of elitism vs. egalitarianism because there can be no question; the black belt is elite, the white belt is not. The black belt is earned through long, difficult work, rigorous education, commitment, and persistence. Not everyone gets a black belt. It's not T-Ball. We invite elite performers to train here because they foster the environment we prefer. It is the rare athlete who improves despite training exclusively with less capable practitioners and such exceptions may not be used to prove a rule. Talented athletes surround themselves with others of a similar or higher caliber – both mental and physical – and improve by doing so.
The parallel motive has to do with choosing who we want to spend our limited time with: why would we open our arms to any and everyone?