ATH-LETE (noun)
\ˈath-ˌlēt, ÷ˈa-thə-ˌlēt\
A person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength.
MISSION STATEMENT
#weareathletes is a social media campaign movement created for race car drivers to show their athletic credibility. For decades it has been a controversial topic that race car drivers are not athletes, and #weareathletes showcases how these individuals put in consistent efforts for fitness, health, and stamina so that they can stay focused without fatigue while behind the wheel.
TAKE ACTION
Be a part of the #weareathletes movement by using the hashtag to share your efforts for fitness, stamina, and strength. Our goal is to encourage, motivate, and influence each other and others who aren’t aware of what and how we, as drivers, train for.
THE STORY
In April, I was standing in a very long line at the Post Office and got to talking with a stranger who was in line behind me. As usual, I was shipping car parts and quickly into our conversation I briefly mentioned to this man that I am a race car driver. Immediately after gaining this knowledge, he asked, “Do you consider yourself an athlete?”. It took me a minute to respond, not because of what my response would be, but because this was something that no one has ever asked me… Of course I consider myself an athlete. I started dieting and strength training 5 years ago so that I could perform better behind the wheel. I captured my mind from wandering any farther, and replied with “Absolutely I am an athlete. I train every day to maintain my abilities”. The man kind of paused and said, “Well, I am sure there is a lot of training but I am still not certain on if I would consider a race car driver an athlete”. Inevitably, our conversation had ended with the Post Office clerk calling “Next!” but this didn’t stop my brain from working each end of this contradictive thought.
It triggered my memory of the infamous quotes made by retired NFL quarter back Donovan McNabb in Dec. 2013 stating that Jimmie Johnson is in no way an athlete; and also, Jalopnik’s articles stating that race car drivers are not athletes either… This topic has been pulled through the wringer time and time again, but no action has truly been taken besides tweets, articles, and clever comments.
Later that month, a friend of mine showed me a link to an online athlete search hosted by 1stPhorm.com: $10k to 5 winners that exhibit the core values, image, and lifestyle of 1st Phorm. The application was extremely short and to the point, which was nice; but it wasn’t until I received a personal email from the Director of Athletes at 1st Phorm, thanking me for my submission and shared his excitement for my passion… This was when I realized that, if a company driven by the performance, results, and passion of athletes was grateful for my submission and story as a race car driver it was more than just a sentence stating that “I am a race car driver. I am an athlete.” it is a movement that should be powered by all those that believe and contribute to it… and with that, I created #WeAreAthletes.
-M1chele Abbate