From the "Pitchpoling Capricorns" thread:
Technology is no replacement for talent.
Definition of talent:
* A marked innate ability, as for artistic accomplishment.
* Natural endowment or ability of a superior quality.
Is it really so? Are most of the top sailors born with a talent the mid-fleeters and tail enders lack? I see posts where sailors sort of take this for granted the whole time..
I dont agree with this, I think the top sailors are where they are becouse of their traning and hard work. There might be individuals who get in rythm with wind and waves easier than others, but it is still not impossible to learn the same skills with enough traning and dedication. I would go so far as saying that the best sailors win becouse of their talent is a subconcious way to avoid looking critically at your own skills and what to work on.
Harsh, yes, but I think it is the truth. My experiences from other sports just reinforce this. I have seen anti-talents grow to champions, while the early talents fizzed out when they met resistance.
Perhaps it is just a case of terminology mixups, where talented is used with the same meaning as skilled?
Opinions?
