I love this topic. Something I have thought about in the back of my mind for years actually and shared with people about skiing and riding.
Here's my big dumb theory. The most "fun" you can have when doing an activity like biking, skiing, basketball, Whatever, is largely dependent upon what is, or more definitively 'is not' rambling around in your head. In that the highest, most simple, and most pure form of "fun" comes when there is no concern, no stress, and no internal or external expectations to fall short of, and making no comparisons to yourself or anyone else during these experiences. I really think beginners or relative newcomers have some of the most raw fun of anyone on the mountain/court/ice or whatever. Whatever gets you closest to that child-like naivety to the world around you and away from your own nagging thoughts. Anyone at whatever skill level can achieve that mindset in the moment, but it becomes more and more dependent on an increasing number of variables. The more better/fitter/skilled you are or rather the older and more experienced you get, the more complicated achieving that mindset can become. We go through cycles, but a lot boils down to expectations, comparisons, and self consciousness. If you've ever stepped away from something for a while or had a setback in your fitness, you know what I mean. You want to be RIGHT back where you were, and that comparison is front and center in your mind. Going from fit to un-fit is Not fun. Being self conscious and trying to compare your own progress to someone else's can lead to major frustration and burn out.
I think as you become more experienced, that feeling of just raw simple fun comes when things are just clicking and your mind is free. You are riding as well as you know how, your fitness feels your best, and you are with friends that do not complicate things. That can happen to anyone from Semenuk or your's truly. The "people" that you mentioned who seem to always be having the most fun (Ratboy, LooseDog, MacDuff, McGarry, Andreu, etc. all come to mind) are just really good at being in that uncomplicated child-like state of mind where the fun flows like pizza and pop at a kids birthday party.
When a kid is out skiing with his friends in ski club just messing around , or young and exploring the neighborhood woods on your bike with a friend or two, there are zero comparisons and zero expectations. Everything is new and everything is an adventure. The experience is Completely uncomplicated. And that is about as fun as it can get. Skill and fitness are relative to the rider, but our own expectations are what controls the experience.
March 1, 2018, 7:25 a.m. - Metacomet
I love this topic. Something I have thought about in the back of my mind for years actually and shared with people about skiing and riding. Here's my big dumb theory. The most "fun" you can have when doing an activity like biking, skiing, basketball, Whatever, is largely dependent upon what is, or more definitively 'is not' rambling around in your head. In that the highest, most simple, and most pure form of "fun" comes when there is no concern, no stress, and no internal or external expectations to fall short of, and making no comparisons to yourself or anyone else during these experiences. I really think beginners or relative newcomers have some of the most raw fun of anyone on the mountain/court/ice or whatever. Whatever gets you closest to that child-like naivety to the world around you and away from your own nagging thoughts. Anyone at whatever skill level can achieve that mindset in the moment, but it becomes more and more dependent on an increasing number of variables. The more better/fitter/skilled you are or rather the older and more experienced you get, the more complicated achieving that mindset can become. We go through cycles, but a lot boils down to expectations, comparisons, and self consciousness. If you've ever stepped away from something for a while or had a setback in your fitness, you know what I mean. You want to be RIGHT back where you were, and that comparison is front and center in your mind. Going from fit to un-fit is Not fun. Being self conscious and trying to compare your own progress to someone else's can lead to major frustration and burn out. I think as you become more experienced, that feeling of just raw simple fun comes when things are just clicking and your mind is free. You are riding as well as you know how, your fitness feels your best, and you are with friends that do not complicate things. That can happen to anyone from Semenuk or your's truly. The "people" that you mentioned who seem to always be having the most fun (Ratboy, LooseDog, MacDuff, McGarry, Andreu, etc. all come to mind) are just really good at being in that uncomplicated child-like state of mind where the fun flows like pizza and pop at a kids birthday party. When a kid is out skiing with his friends in ski club just messing around , or young and exploring the neighborhood woods on your bike with a friend or two, there are zero comparisons and zero expectations. Everything is new and everything is an adventure. The experience is Completely uncomplicated. And that is about as fun as it can get. Skill and fitness are relative to the rider, but our own expectations are what controls the experience.