For
many of us adults, we look back on our school years with memories of sports
after school being foremost. How many of you played soccer, rugby, tennis,
athletics? How many of you wondered as a 15 year old if you could make the
Olympics, World Cup or what have you at the pinnacle of sporting endeavor? A
large percentage I am sure. I remember using Franz Stampfl’s book as the
bible as I trained every afternoon with “interval running”. Alas, my knees
gave out before I could pit myself against the top athletic crowd. No gold
medals for me.
However, David Epstein, a very astute writer for Sports Illustrated has
taken it upon himself to investigate the roles of nature and nurture in the
development of athleticism in his book, “The Sports Gene - Talent, Practice
and the truth about Success” (ISBN 978-0-224-09162-6, Yellow Jersey Press,
Random House, 2014).
The book has 16 chapters and an epilogue and copious notes at the end, but
this is something to be expected. Author Epstein has brought together
several scientific studies and has been successful in collating the numbers,
where the individual researchers have not had enough data to be positive in
their results. Epstein has found the correlations and has commented upon
them.
The theme that runs through the book is genetics with the Human Genome
Project featuring right from the beginning of the book. He draws the
reader’s attention to the fact that the 23,000 regions of DNA are not such
that we can pick and replace at will. Altering one sequence can have an
effect on others!
He begins with looking at the work done by K. Anders Ericsson, whose
research paper titled, “Toward a Science of Exceptional Achievement” in 2009
gave credence to the idea that excellence came from 10,000 hours of
practice. Nurture defeating nature. Or does it?
Epstein has drawn upon the work of some sports scientists who have pointed
out that genes are not rigidly determinate, as opposed to some commonly held
ideas that they “…negate free will or the ability to improve one’s athletic
station.”
Epstein reports that the Heritage research group has additionally found that
there are 21 gene variants that can predict physical improvement with
exercise. Or otherwise. Nature being decidedly difficult to get along with
at times!
The back cover has the plaudits of other journalists, with quotes such as
“Terrific”, “Endlessly fascinating”, “Powerful and convincing” and
“Fascinating, thought provoking.” To those I would like to add “terrifying”.
Epstein has scratched through the shell of our love affair with sports and
medals, and has shown that nature and nurture are both involved - but
genetic meddling is not far away as mankind delves deeper into the very
threads of our own make-up, even to the point of blurring the distinction
between male and female athletes. Be warned, “Robo-Runner” is not too far
away down the track.
At B. 495 on the Bookazine shelves, this book will please anyone with an
enquiring mind and an interest in sport. And if you are wondering when you
should start training your offspring, the answer is 12 years.
