Argument- In Accordance with Ericson's study as to why some individuals are able to excel whereas others aren't, it was found that "one or more aspects of style or intensity of practice, or technique, or mind-set, or response to failure" (69) caused those individuals to be extremely successful. Are any of these factors more important than one another? Furthermore, it was also stated that genes still play an integral role in one's success in that induced "biochemical states will trigger the activation of doorman genes within the cell's DNA" (69) which will then cause "adaptive change"(69) within these genetically "gifted" individuals. Taking into account the notion of GxE, does practice overcome this difference? Or does genetics always put others at an impassable advantage?
Sai Nimmagadda (saiguy@me.com)
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ReplyDeleteThe factors (style/intensity of practice, technique, mindset, and response to failure) are all so interrelated that it’s difficult to judge if any one of them is more important. For example a runner can be totally committed to practice running but if his technique is wrong, his efforts can be futile or not as effective. If he only runs like crazy and not do important conditioning exercises like stretching, ab workouts, and weights, he may not improve very much. At the same time if he doesn’t practice as much, he won’t improve very much either. Therefore, as Shenk says, “all of these ingredients must be present in just the right quantity and mixed with just the right timing and flair” (64). This displays the theme of interdependence in nature. It is “the dependence of every form of life on other living things and on the natural resources in its environment, such as air, soil, and water” (http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-273213/ecology). An athlete depends on all of the factors of practice, technique, mindset, etc. The factors each play an important role in progress and it’s the right combination of all these factors that is essential ultimately to success.
ReplyDeleteThe G X E model shows that genes may still put someone at an advantage over someone else. For example, black athletes are said to possess “high performance genes” (102). Evidence from Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About it show that “evolutionary forces have bestowed East Africans with…smaller physiques, narrow shoulders, lean legs, must less muscle mass, and a higher proportion of “slow-twitch” muscles, rendering them ideal endurance athletes” (299). Slow-twitch muscles “are more efficient at using oxygen to generate more ATP for continuous, extended muscle contractions over a long time,” explaining why they are ideal for endurance sports. (http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/MuscleFiberType.htm) They also fire more slowly than fast twitch fibers, hence the name “slow-twitch muscles”. This along with other characteristics is present in East Africans through evolution. Evolution is “the theory that groups of organisms change with passage of time, mainly as a result of natural selection, so that descendants differ morphologically and physiologically from their ancestors”(http://necsi.edu/projects/evolution/cover/evolution_cover.html). Throughout time, environmental pressures in East Africa have caused natural selection to occur and East Africans’ bodies have evolved to become athletically superior in endurance sports. Thanks to evolution, it seems that black athletes are naturally born with an unfair advantage that white athletes just can’t compete with. Yet this outlook fails to take into account the current environmental conditions that blacks live in. For example, the Kenyans may have a slight advantage due to genes but what really gives them their running superiority is lots of practice and the will. For them, running is a daily part of their lives, a necessity to get to places, and it also acts as an economic opportunity for many. Therefore it’s not only genetics that put these black athletes at an advantage but the environmental factors that force them to practice. In the end, an athlete still depends on, along with the genes inherited, the factors discussed earlier for success. On the other hand, it’s not impossible to beat a black athlete.
Christine Zhao (c_zhao@ymail.com)
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ReplyDeleteAt the same time, the G X E model shows that practice can overcome this difference. Genetics may play a role in athletic ability but so does external environmental factors. It does this in two important ways. Going with the running example, one way is simply that practice gives an individual better cardiovascular endurance, stronger muscles, and better form. Even though an athlete may naturally have longer legs, a shorter-legged athlete can beat him/her by running at a faster pace. Another way is that though we can’t change our genetic makeup, we can change the genes that are active. “When individuals deliberately push themselves…these biochemical states will trigger the activation [of] dormant genes within the cells’ DNA” (69). Therefore, it’s possible that intense running at a young age can actually turn on genes that lengthen legs. The physical shape is not set in stone by a genetic blueprint but instead can be changed by environmental factors.
Christine Zhao (c_zhao@ymail.com)