Idk Joe. I see your side of this debate, but I look at out like this. Just like in a football game, or hockey, or whatever sport, competition, etc, it's ask about what you put in and take out. Sports is hardly (probably the lamest IMHO) the only catalyst for something life changing. I've competed in sports, I've competed in spelling comps, eating comps, real auto racing (scca soloII), I've hung from helicopters like a dope on a rope, scaled 100 foot log ladders with 6 feet between "steps" and more. A whole lot of stuffthat I wouldn't say is sad. I can honestly say that I fit as god of an adrenaline rush on a good Sunday night as I have doing those. For something to be great, stressful, invigorating, anything like that, it doesn't have to be life changing. Some of my most memorable moments sure weren't. Nor was every race, or even every sunday, memorable. That don't mean that none were either. like I said, it's up to you what you put in and take out. The biggest difference between someone who does this as a hobby as opposed to sonatine who does this as a career? The amount of work they put in every day. Anything else (coaches, sponsor responsibilities yada) are all outside stresses that shouldn't be measured, as each individual will handle them different, and fans and a crowd go out the window when the ball is hiked or the green flag drops. Further, those Sunday's I've raced, they are generally pretty surious nights. People are fairly serious on a SUnday night. Far less jovial chat and joking about goin on on a Sunday than any other time. I know for a fact that there are at least three SNAILs that don't race because of that fact. Quite a few people practice and prep for league night, and take it quite seriously.
