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Material Type: Paper; Class: World History; Subject: History; University: Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; Term: Forever 1989;
Typology: Papers
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Student Name Prof. Wadas History 030 10/7/
In 2004, the summer Olympics returned to its home country of Greece. As Athens hosted the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, Tony Perrottet examined the origins of the Greek Games. He explores the ancient gymnasium olympians trained in, how Olympic hopefuls hired private trainers, and also the lucrativeness of being an Olympic champion. All of these aspects of the Ancient Olympic Games can be compared to the aspects of the modern Olympic Games. However, there are also differences among these aspects. The first aspect of the ancient games Perrottet discusses is the training conditions in which athletes trained for the Olympics. Ancient athletes trained in the Greek gymnasium. Although it bears a similar name to modern day fitness clubs, the comparisons between the two are few in number. An ancient Greek gymnasium was not a singular building. Instead, it was a public sports ground. The ancient gym's main feature was its running track. It had a second running track that was covered and could be used in the event of bad weather. Because athletes needed a location to swim as well, the ancient gymnasium was usually adjacent to a river. Also, it always had a wrestling school, known as a palaestra, attached to it. All these factors are similar to modern fitness clubs. The majority of exercise facilities today have an indoor running track. Also, some facilities have pools for members to swim in. Finally, some clubs
provide recreation areas where specific exercise classes, such as cycling or kickboxing, is taught, similar to the palaestra. However, the ancient Greek gymnasium was more than just sports complex, it was also a social center, unlike the fitness clubs of today. Young boys came for their primary education and teenagers remained there for military training. Fitness clubs of today do not educate or train people for the military. The second aspect of the that Perrottet addresses is the hiring of trainers by hopeful Olympians. In ancient Greece, paidotribai, or private trainers, were hired to help athletes qualify for the ancient games. The paidotribai was typically a retired athlete and had experience in the fields of anatomy, nutrition, medicine, and physiotherapy. They were generally innovative specialists with their own personal exercise programs for their clients. Just as the paidotribai was hired by an ancient athlete, so are personal trainers today by modern athletes. Professional athletes hire elite trainers to provide rigorous workout routines and nutritional guidelines to help them perform at their peak. As with the ancient trainers, modern day trainers must have an exceptional understanding of the human anatomy to help prevent injury to an athlete while still improving their overall fitness. However, paidotribai differ from the modern day personal trainer. In ancient Greece, it was not uncommon if a paidotribai was illiterate. Today, the best personal trainers have attended years of collegiate education. Also, ancient trainers were as famous as the athletes they trained. And while today's personal trainers do gain some recognition, they do not receive nearly the as much publicity as their athletes do. Finally, Perrottet examines the celebrity of being an ancient Olympic champion. Although at the Olympic games itself the athlete only was awarded an olive wreath, the