Baller DangerBoy Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Who's the greatest athlete that ever lived? That's easy. Secretariat. After 29 years, his records at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes still stand (as do some other track records he set). His never seen before and never seen since 31 length (~250 ft! ?) margin of victory at the grueling Belmont Stakes will never be touched. Later, computer analysis revealed that his physical anatomy, geometry, etc. was as perfect as a horse's can possibly be. Further analysis revealed that his gait/stride was also as perfect and efficient as a horse's can possibly be. Couple that with the fact that after his death, his heart was found to be approximately TWICE the size of a normal race horse's and you've got the perfect/ultimate equine running machine. But all of those things put together are not all that's needed to make an athlete, especially a distance runner, truly great. What are also needed (and arguably even more important) in such an athlete are the desire and the indomitable will to push his or herself to outcompete and win and you see those things in spades in this video: Watch how, in every race, Turcotte never puts the whip to him but Big Red never stops trying to go faster and pull further away from the pack. Even at the Belmont, when he was so far ahead he literally could've trotted the last furlong and still won, he kept pouring it on and kept pulling further and further ahead of the pack. But Turcotte wasn't the one making him do it; it was his will and desire. It was Secretariat pushing himself to get to the finish line faster. In that sense, his heart was WAY more than twice the size of other horses. To my mind, he was, without contest, the greatest athlete that ever lived. Watch this video and be in awe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ The_MS Posted February 18, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 18, 2022 Gretzky Mapple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ski6jones Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Bo Jackson, Jim Thorpe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller DangerBoy Posted February 18, 2022 Author Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 @The_MS Gretzky was an Oiler (Flames fan here) so he cannot be in the conversation. ;) Yes, all these athletes you and @ski6jones mention were all great athletes and stood above their peers, but I would argue that no athlete has ever stood so far above and been so far superior to his/her peers of their time and his/her peers from the past or future as Secretariat. Watch the last race in the video and see by how much he won the race. By the time he crossed the finish line, the rest of the pack were just barely rounding the home corner and getting to the beginning of the homestretch. It's absolutely awe inspiring and astonishing. At that level of racing, a victory by 31 lengths (~250 feet!) NEVER happens. Yeah, a good horse on a good day can win a race by a couple lengths but not 31. That's like Hussain Bolt at his best running the 100 m against a bunch of kindergarten students. Those other horses (like Sham) were great horses but they weren't even in the same league as Secretariat. Not even close. And nothing's ever come close since. The reasons for that are obvious: he was anatomically perfect and optimized for racing in every single way - literally a freak of nature - and he had all the desire, determination and heart an athlete could ever have. He was perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ The_MS Posted February 18, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 18, 2022 Lanny McDonald Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted February 18, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 18, 2022 Say what you will: Lance Armstrong. Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ALPJr Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Showing my age… Thorpe was my first thought, in the 20th century. Jackson is also a good one, and I’d probably put Michael Jordan in the mix. For waterskiers… so many… I’d say Suyderhoud, Grimwidch, Roberge, Mapple, Jacques. It’s like ice cream and music, lots of choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Wish Posted February 18, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 18, 2022 Still winter I see. Sometimes I forget that living on FL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller lakeo Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Hmm, well if you are going to enter horses in the discussion, then I'm going either Mother Nature or Father Time. Both undefeated and untied. Where as Secretariat lost a couple of times. I don't know I think probably there is some downhill snow skier who should be considered as World class downhill is the toughest thing to do in the world of sports being that you are on the edge of death. No, hitting major league pitching is not the toughest thing to do in sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Skoot1123 Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Mario Lemieux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller B_S Posted February 18, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 18, 2022 Psht, that athlete couldn't even ski! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Horton Posted February 18, 2022 Administrators Share Posted February 18, 2022 Regina Goode ★ HO Syndicate ★ KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes ★ Baller Video Coaching System Drop a dime in the can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ DW Posted February 18, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 18, 2022 Eddie the Eagle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MrJones Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Jim Thorpe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eyepeeler Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Bobby Boucher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jimbrake Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Kelly Slater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller DangerBoy Posted February 19, 2022 Author Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 @lakeo Sometimes horses lose races because of the jockey making tactical errors by making a move too early or too late or allowing other horses to close in around them and not allowing them to get to the outside in time to make a move on the lead. How many track records did Father Time or Mother Nature set that have stood up 29 years and counting? Did either of them ever win a race, and particularly a long race like the Belmont by even 20 lengths? Has there ever been a top level waterskier who has ran, say, two line length changes above what everyone of his/her peers could do at the time? Like say, run 39 clear when not one other top competitor was capable of running even 3 or 4 at 35 yet? That's about equivalent to finishing the Belmont 31 lengths (~250 feet) ahead of the rest of the pack. I'm surprised that no one has looked at the video and said something about how incredible it was what Secretariat did and/or talk about their memories of watching those races back in '73. I remember them. I was 12 and like a lot of people in the world was caught up in all the excitement about Secretariat. I remember watching him come around the home corner at the Belmont with the rest of the pack not even in site. I remember jumping up and down in excitement with my parents as he tore down the homestretch, yelling at the TV urging Secretariat to go, Go, GO! I remember how awestruck and astonished we were when we saw how far ahead of the rest of the pack he was when he got to the finish line and how we cheered so loudly. I remember how we all felt we had seen something truly great; something legendary. Something for the ages. Watching that video brings back all of those memories and I can't help but feel some of those feelings again. It also makes me feel wistful with memories of good times I had with my parents when I was a kid. I do miss them. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScottScott Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller igkya Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Caitlyn Jenner aka Bruce :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller skibrain Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 C’mon people, this is a waterskiing site. Can’t we give Wayne Grimditch an honorable mention? “Wayne became water skiing's No. 1 public relations ambassador in 1978 when sports fans throughout America saw him win the ABC Superstars, a television presentation featuring the country's finest athletes in a variety of sports.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Horton Posted February 19, 2022 Administrators Share Posted February 19, 2022 @skibrain I edited your post ( added the gif ) because you are exactly right. Wayne is forgotten by history but is one of the greatest athletes in the history of any sport. Goode ★ HO Syndicate ★ KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes ★ Baller Video Coaching System Drop a dime in the can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller thager Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Jesus: Walked on water first and better than anyone else ever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller slow Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Bo Jackson, then way down on the list I take Bode Miller before Mapple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller NameUnavailable Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Not sure about the horse vs human comparison, but I do feel sorry for the owners of Sham....born any other year he is a triple crown winner too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScarletArrow Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Uncle Rico… if only the coach would have put him in we would have all known it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGerald3 Posted February 19, 2022 Share Posted February 19, 2022 Bo Jackson, Dwight Edelman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted February 19, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 19, 2022 Wayne also snow skied, and played tennis and golf. Three time water ski world champion, once in trick and twice in jump. Held the world jump record at 169 feet (on Cypress Gardens Ramp Masters) for a long time. Played high school soccer and kicked for the football team. I believe he was All Florida in both. He’s currently a strength and conditioning coach in the Fort Lauderdale area. Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller skialex Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Admiral General Aladdin…. For a period of time he won in every sport he participated!! No competitor ever question his dominance, at least not in the open… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 2Valve Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Bodacious is right up there. Probably more feared than Cassius Clay or Mike Tyson. And I doubt Secretariat would last very long in the ring with him. :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodacious_(bull) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Wish Posted February 19, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 19, 2022 Tiger Woods. Mental dominance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller thager Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 2nd place: Chuck Norris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Horton Posted February 19, 2022 Administrators Share Posted February 19, 2022 @lpskier Wayne's long-standing record was 180 Goode ★ HO Syndicate ★ KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes ★ Baller Video Coaching System Drop a dime in the can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted February 19, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 19, 2022 @horton True. But that was after he switched to EP skis (as I recall). 169 on wood skis is the bomb in my book. Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 6balls Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Secretariat ok. Jordan Serena Federer—ooh I went tennis twice! Woods Phelps—freak of nature in the pool Tyson Bo Jackson Bruce Jenner Carl Lewis Regina! Pick the best 3 eventer of all time and count them in as well—a number to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted February 19, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 19, 2022 Tom Brady Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member Than_Bogan Posted February 19, 2022 Supporting Member Share Posted February 19, 2022 Pretty sure it's Vladimir Putin. He skates circles around top Russian players and his shot is so good it looks like the goal keeper is diving out of tbe way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Horton Posted February 19, 2022 Administrators Share Posted February 19, 2022 how do Brett Wing and Chuck Stearns always get forgotten in these conversations? Goode ★ HO Syndicate ★ KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes ★ Baller Video Coaching System Drop a dime in the can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ski2000 Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 Being a child in the 80s, (Bo Knows) is a significant memory, if not a career cut short this might be different, but I must say though the dominant performance that Michael Jordan would have on the biggest stage has him top for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ski6jones Posted February 19, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 19, 2022 There is Chuck Norris, everyone else fights for second. No one fights Chuck and lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jmoski Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 Hands down the greatest single athletic achievement goes to Alex Honnold for free soloing (no rope) free rider on El Cap in Yosemite. 3,200 feet of rock climbing at an unrelenting difficult level. Watch National Geographic’s documentary called “Free Solo” if you haven’t already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ski6jones Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 @Jmoski a very specific set of skills but also not possible without insane fitness and natural athletic ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Taynton Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 @jmoski, if you think thats true watch the alpinist you will probably agree that Canadian Marc-André Leclerc leaves alex honnold in the dust. I still don't think either qualifies as the greatest athlete as climbing is more of a mental game than a physical one. Does anyone consider motorcycle racer Ricky Carmichael? An outdoor motocross race IS one of the most physically demanding and dangerous sports on the planet and he was champion for 7 years straight as well as 2 perfect seasons where he won EVERY race. oh ya, and 5 supercross championships as well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jmoski Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 @taynton - yes, what LeClerc was doing was unbelievable, I was a pretty good ice climber back in the day, I couldn’t believe some the mixed routes he pulled off and how at ease he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller hemlock Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 Based on the title of this thread, I would vote for someone that won a gold medal in a decathlon. Best ever of that? Hard to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MillerTime38 Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 @Jmoski if 99% of America has no clue who you are, you cannot be the greatest athlete ever If I made a list I will probably get to a waterskier around 150 to 200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller NameUnavailable Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 I would have said Deion Sanders, but then as I thought about it all the way back to high school you can't leave out Al Bundy or as mentioned Uncle Rico if coach put him in...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller bigtex2011 Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 tonya harding was a good baseball player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller tjs1295 Posted February 20, 2022 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2022 Aleksandr Karelin. I'm not into wrestling, but this guy has fascinated me since he lost in the 2000 Olympic gold medal match. I think it was his only loss in a 13 year international career. Got his first silver medal, and called it a career. Pretty sure he didn't even give up a point for 6 years straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted February 20, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 20, 2022 James Brown Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Rednucleus Posted February 20, 2022 Baller_ Share Posted February 20, 2022 Based on all the vids I have seen on BOS, have to put in a vote for @thager for this honor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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