Greetings Rhillier,
It is good to hear your perspective as one not actively involved in practicing freediving and interacting in person with those who are. It emphasizes to me the large ease for differences in perspective based on one's experience of media and forums as opposed to first hand person-to-person interactions. Your perception of what is happening here is very relevant because it suggests possibly many other unannounced people are doing the same.
However, as a person having interacted with many freedivers, I did not experience this thread in the same way you have, so I thought I might share some of that with you in response to some of your perceptions.
rhillier said:
From the view of someone on the outside, it appears the freediving community consists of a relatively small population of individuals with its top performers being very revered. It seems that there are relatively few of these top performers, as I always seem to see the same few names being mentioned over and over again. Kind of like they're the big fish in a very small pond (but deeper then hell, I'll admit), and everyone wants it to stay that way.
I don't perceive the top performers as being very revered. Or more specifically, not necessarily moreso than others in the community who are noted for accomplishments. Often the revere that does exist for top performers is very local or by those who have not had much interaction with the wider range of unique and exciting individuals that are not focused on in the media for records. Of course a record holder becomes the references in many peoples' mind and gives us all something to be attracted to.
In any sport the record holders tend to be referenced more often than those who are also top performers yet do not claim a record. So, my point is that what you are probably not seeing in the media and not easily on these forums, is that there are quite a good handful of top performers and unfortunately we don't refer to them enough in forums and media. Also the posts in threads often are filled with comments by people who are new to the sport and have entered with a certain revere for a specific individual. Those who have been around for a significant amount of time and have had the oppotunity to interact more deeply in the community are less likely to be commenting with much revere of any one individual. This means your perception of the community's opinion may not really reflect the community but moreso those who are new to the community.
Which brings me to the last point in the quote. I don't think many of us who have been involved in the community in depth at all want only those at the top to stay at the top. Maybe some of those at the top do and some of the new fans. Isn't that the way fame works? Fans try to ensure their hero is a hero. But the greater amount of freedivers, from my experience, are excited at the potential of new faces entering, with new surprises and more participants challenging the limits. I don't think too many active participants in the freediving community really care one way or another what David Blaine were to achieve in the short time he has been involved. However, sincerity is a hard thing to find and something that many of us treasure. We try to explore our limits, our physiology, our unknown potential, and share experiences to compare what is possible. So, hopefully it is understandable that if there is doubt as to the integrity and sincerity of the event in the eyes of those experienced in the freediving community, this could be a challenging thing to deal with.
Then, along comes someone from outside of this little circle, such as David Blaine, who possibly threatens to knock one of the most revered off his perch and everyone goes ballistic and starts knocking him and making all kinds of assumptions before he has even had a chance to perform.
Yes, some of the comments in this thread are a little more flippant than others, and some of us are less practiced than others at voicing our thoughts/feelings. But all-in-all I don't think what you suggest here is "actually" what is happening or trying to be conveyed. I don't think we care about anybody losing their position as record holder. Most of us acknowledge the top dogs at this time do not have the record. Therefore, Blaine will only be "winning" a formality if he actually succeeds. Which should emphasize he is not knocking anybody off their perch. The issue is the insincerity that may go along with claiming it is a world record for the two reasons of lack of formality and lack of actually topping the current best. It is not going to change our minds in the community of who has the best breathhold, but depending on how it is handled if he were to succeed it could be an injustice to others who have done better yet have not claimed record due to accepted formality.
Why not wait until the event is over before passing judgement. If it indeed some sort of magic trick, so be it. That's the time to throw stones at him... But if it wasn't, but he winds up doing something remarkable in front of a worldwide audience, give the guy his due credit. The fact that it isn't recognized by AIDA doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
People are not waiting for the event to end, because voicing opinions has an effect. The people involved in the event are close to many in the community and directly affected by the communities opinions (PFI). Therefore, whether conscious or not people with concerns are putting voices out there that may reach the ears of those involved and therefore suggest and possibly influence how things take place. Likely it won't influence things, but it at least puts the voice out there and a responsibility on those who represent the community. So, what you see as throwing stones at David Blaine, is in my opinion, people trying to ensure PFI has considered the concerns that affect the community and those who participate in freediving. Safety of newcomers to the activity, promoting sport popularity, justice to those who go through formalities to claim record, are the 3 things in this thread that are trying to be expressed as concerns. It is not throwing stones, but actual concerns that many will feel are important and dear to our sport and community.
Now, all that said, I want to reemphasize that your points are wonderful, as that is how you perceived things through these forums and other channels you experienced. This is a lesson to those participating that if their meaning doesn't match with your perception, then maybe more emphasis and caution is required in their expression. However, I hope some of my expression aids in seeing a more realistic and sincere view of possibly what our community is like, what their concerns are, and what their concerns are not.
Because I have attempted to clarify my perception of the community and this thread, I am in no way suggesting I agree, support, promote, disagree, with those points as I have perceived them. Just emphasizing how different my perception is from the one you experienced.
Thanks and sincerest regards,
Tyler
PS. My feelings to date in this thread and why I have not commented, are because:
- everything is speculation at this point.
- I don't really suspect that David Blaine would claim his performance (if he makes it) as a world record.
- the resulting speculation of an increase in deaths due to his portrayal of the sport in the media, is a complex issue that I don't see as being simply black and white.
- sport popularity, I am neutral to.
- nobody hears my voice anyhow, it is too low amidst the noise.
