Is De'atra Edwards the first African-American World Champion?

Before somebody gets excited and asks Why does it matter, well, because it just always seems to get attention in the mass media for real sports (tennis, golf, nascar, etc.), so why not here.

There is certainly an extremely low percentage of DGers that are African-American, so seeing a World Champ is, I think, a noteworthy event.

[Before somebody gets excited and asks Why does it matter, well, because it just always seems to get attention in the mass media for real sports (tennis, golf, nascar, etc.), so why not here.

[/QUOTE]

Even though I hate it when people post to a thread when they do not have an answer to the original poster's question, I have to set the record straight. Contrary to what redneck America likes to believe, Nascar is certainly not a sport.

With that off my chest, I will now wait for the legions of barely literate, toothless yokels to post.

lol...rednecks good 1
I belive the anwser is Detra would be the first.
And I agree it doesn't matter in my eyes (should be all eyes) we all walk the same so we must be the same

Knudsen has a "pimp" limp. He walks a little different.

Contrary to what redneck America likes to believe, Nascar is certainly not a sport.



And by any standard by which that would be true, disc golf wouldn't be a sport either. :) Sport/not-a-spot, I don't care. They're both in the same group.

Unless you're just talking semantics, in which case I amend my original post to read "auto racing". :D

Nascar is certainly not a sport.




As an individual who posesses a NASCAR racing license, Id like to see ANYONE who doubts NASCAR is a sport to try to race ANYTHING over a long period of time.
The longest Ive ever done was 100 laps on a 1/2 mile and it will "wear you out". The constant "pressures" put on your body as well as the mental concentration needed certainly qualifies it as a "Sport" :p

Is De'atra Edwards the first African-American World Champion?




Not sure but I believe "Paul Harris", now deceased, was a World Champion in the "Early Years"
Im not sure about this because it was before my time, but Im sure some "Old Geezer" will set the record straight :D

Paul Harris would have probably been the first, and I think Toby Henderson was probably the second (I'm pretty sure he won World Juniors 2 years in a row - and that was 6-7 years ago?)

Is Paul Harris LaRon's father? LaRon definatly has the game to win a masters world title when/if he is of age.

Nascar is certainly not a sport.




As an individual who posesses a NASCAR racing license, Id like to see ANYONE who doubts NASCAR is a sport to try to race ANYTHING over a long period of time.
The longest Ive ever done was 100 laps on a 1/2 mile and it will "wear you out". The constant "pressures" put on your body as well as the mental concentration needed certainly qualifies it as a "Sport" :p



Well Magilla, as an individual who regularly ran more than 120 miles per week and more than 5,000 miles in a year, I certainly don't consider sitting in a car and making left hand turns to be a challenging activity. I can drive too.

You can go on about the pressures put on the body, the intense mental concentration involved, and the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr "jogs" for 30 minutes a day three times a week; however, I am willing to bet that I endure more pain and misery when I run a race then your standard Nascar good ol' boy will endure in his career.

what about hand stand racing...nah that ain't a sport

It's not just driving in circles....Sometimes you've got to pull over and let people change your tires and fill your tank.

...and one lucky SOB gets to do donuts on virgin grass!

It's not just driving in circles....Sometimes you've got to pull over and let people change your tires and fill your tank.



/msgboard/images/graemlins/smirk.gif ;) :cool::) :D:D :D

I am willing to bet that I endure more pain and misery when I run a race then your standard Nascar good ol' boy will endure in his career.



I will take that bet for whatever stakes you are willing to put up. Your statement only shows your ignorance. Not a personal slam or anything, ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge on something, and you clearly have one on this subject.

If you really think you endure more pain and misery as a runner than a NASCAR dirver does all season, then:

1) You're not a very good runner. Have you tried investing in some good running shoes? Stretching before you start your run? Running is supposed to be good for you. If you're enduring that much 'pain and misery', you're probably not doing it right. You should seek out the assistance of a qualified running coach before you do yourself further harm.

2) You know nothing about NASCAR and the physical and mental demands of what they do. I'd be willing to bet that Dale Jr. could make it through one of your "misery and pain" riddled runs without so much as a whimper. Conversely, I'd bet dimes to nickles that you'd end up dead (which is where pain and misery really peak) just trying to coax his #3 car around a race track for more than a handful of laps at a qualifying speed.

"Well Magilla, as an individual who regularly ran more than 120 miles per week and more than 5,000 miles in a year, I certainly don't consider sitting in a car and making left hand turns to be a challenging activity. I can drive too."


I tend to agree with John, trust me, he was suffering much more than any NASCAR driver. First, I agree that NASCAR is a sport!. For exactly the reasons given. For me it is a boring sport, but what I like is irrelevant, two hours of driving at close to 200 miles an hour is as much a sport as any. That said, the stresses and discomfort of NASCAR are nothing compared to what John put up with.

Do the math. John averaged just over 16 miles a day (his numbers). That is amazing! I ran/raced cross country for 20 years and have been running for 30 years. Even on my tightest schedules I didn't get much over 75 miles a week. At the age of 44 I jog and am happy with it. Few marathoners keep the schedule that John kept for long. The human body just isn't meant to run that far that long. So, my guess is that John is in a lot of pain. He didn't have to have bad style or bad shoes, he was most likely overtraining. My guess is that he is pretty beat up from that and carries some pain when he works out. But then again, that is just my guess.

BTW - NASCAR drivers are set for a change. It won't be long until one of them discovers, much as Tiger did, that a full fitness regimen will give them an edge. Staying tight under mental and physical stress is always the key.

Dang it, Lyle. You ruined my fun. I was all set to rain down on some of the previous posters, but you just had to go and craft a well-thought out response. In all seriousness, thanks for writing what you did. Also, I will throw some "propers" your way for the Dead Kennedys avatar.

As for the Rooster, you are right, I am not a very good runner. I never cracked the 4-minute mile barrier, and I never qualified for the Olympics. Now that I think about it, my best mile time ever was still 15 seconds slower than Roger Bannister ran in 1954. I am bad...and ignorant.

Again Rooster, you are certainly correct when you say that I would end up dead if I tried to drive the #3 car around the track, although I do think the #3 car is being restored for the second coming of The Intimidator (Is this pro wrestling now? And if so, is that a sport, too?). I believe that you meant to say that I would drive the #8 car. The only thing I would be worried about is that ol' Tony Stewart wouldn't take a shine to my fancy drivin' antics down on that there track, and he might send his hired goons, er, pit crew to give me a Redneck beatdown.

As has been pointed out before, I am completely ignorant of any and all knowledge pertaining to NASCAR and its, "ahem", athletes. In the meantime, I will wait for Dale Jr to make it through my 10-mile run tonight without so much as a whimper. Someone might want to call ahead and let him know that it will take us less than an hour (that is faster than 6-minute mile pace for those of you who were wondering), so it isn't like this will take up too much of his time. Could you ask him to set out some water for me after he is finished?

I believe that is what we all a serious asswhoopin.

Nice mile time, John!

I want to know what any of this has to do with the topic of the thread, especially since there are relatively few African-Americans that participate in or even watch NASCAR. (Might that have something to do with all the stars-and-bars flying over the RV's in the speedway infields???)

Can we take NASCAR (sport or not) here (http://www.pdga.com/msgboard/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=288758&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1) and get back with the discussion as originally set?

Idahojon, will do... and "thank you," Dan.

With all apologies to Idaho...

Sorry John,

I couldn't resist, one of my worst habits. My guess is that you will get a second opportunity.

So, what does that give you about a four-ten mile? That's good in my book! With that many miles you have to be a marathoner, try cross country, much faster and usually the scenery is better. You also get a lot fewer "casual" runners; only nerds run CC. Besides, a 5 or 10K at 4 minute pace is very good for any run anywhere.

Don't hate the NASCAR fans; currently it's the number one "sport" in America. Something that popular has to be right...

Back to the topic at hand. :D

Be careful, Jon, there's more than just a hint of stereotyping in your last post. Not many African-Americans like ice hockey, either.