What Does It Really Mean to be an Athlete?
The answer to this question should be simple…right?
After training in multiple gyms and seeing coaches work with people, the question that rang in my head was:
What exactly does it mean to be an athlete?
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.”
Once I read the definition, I knew there was something missing. So I decided to ask around and see how other people who participate in sports and fitness define what it means to be an athlete.
Check out some of the responses below:
- “An athlete is someone who has the ability to find their true potential within a sport that they like.”
- “Someone who dedicates themselves in the pursuit of developing in a particular sport.”
- “An athlete is a person who just participates in a sport they like.”
- “Someone who is very determined and disciplined in their sport, even on their bad days.”
- “Someone who plays sports, regardless if it’s professionally or recreational.”
- “A person who is physically and mentally fit. They don’t have to be perfect but as long as they strive to be better in both aspects then you are an athlete.”
- “Anyone who pushes the physical limits of the human body.”
After collecting all these responses, I realized I couldn’t pick one because they’re all accurate.
I use to think that athletes were the people you only saw on television, but I was wrong. Throughout my research I realized that to be an athlete, the sport that you choose to compete in…is just the tip of the iceberg.
An athlete is someone who LOVES pushing the physical and mental limits of the human body.
Athletes strive to be better humans through sport because they absolutely LOVE it and they’re PASSIONATE about it.
In fact, without passion, the athlete dies.
Ben Bergeron, a successful CrossFit gym owner and coach, believes that passion and grit are key for any athlete. His competitive coaching is one of the most highly sought-after programs in the CrossFit community. Bergeron has a massive following from gyms and athletes worldwide.
In his book Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the World’s Fittest Athletes, he states that every athlete has talent “but talent without grit is just potential. Talent plus grit is unstoppable.”
Being an athlete is not easy.
It can take years to master a sport, sometimes a lifetime. Being an athlete requires sacrificing the comfortable for the unknown, both physically and mentally.
When Phil Handy, a former coach of NBA star LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, was asked what makes James an incredible athlete, he responded that “he wants to be challenged…and every day he strives to be better than the day before.”
Athletes are driven, disciplined, and can often seem obsessed.
Many times, they’re laughed at by the people around them who don’t understand their journey. I’ve always been a fan of the athlete because they’re living proof that human beings can go beyond the impossible.
Athletes are super-humans who show us that the body and the mind can be limitless if you let them. They’ve probably touched your life whether you know it or not.
We look at them in awe and celebrate their victories alongside them whether it’s in person, at a stadium, or through a TV screen. They shine a light on what WE as human beings are capable of.
They inspire us to do better, to be better, and to not settle for less; to always strive for greatness. We see their successes and realize that we can do this. And that’s what athletes do:
They inspire the uninspired.
Kimberly Delarosa is a freelance writer and essayist based in New York. For more information, visit www.kimberlydelarosa.com and sign up to the newsletter.
