# What Olympic event would you have the best chance in? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 11, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403 "2016-08-11T01:03:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403/61 "2016-08-13T19:12:34Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > It always irks me when someone says the horse does all the work. Have you ever ridden a horse? Not just a trail ride, but over a course of fences or through a dressage test? It looks effortless when the pros do it, but it’s still a lot of work for the rider, and if you’re doing it right, it is a team sport and a partnership between horse and rider. > > Setting the pace through the course, setting the horse up correctly on the approach to the jumps, both for where to take off and how to ride the correct striding through a set of obstacles, finding the line to the next fence, even just negotiating the jumps in the correct order is all on the rider. Riding a horse is more than just sitting there kicking to go and hauling on the reins to stop. > > When I was riding regularly I was the fittest I’ve ever been, and that’s not because the horse was doing all the work. I’ve ridden too. I grew up in Maryland, we all rode back then. The horses still do the bulk of the work and they’re the ones to admire. The horses do get credit in Olympic events as I recall. I’m not disparaging equestrians, just pointing out how much of the physical activity is undertaken by the horse, something I’m sure you appreciate. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403/62 "2016-08-13T22:44:22Z")
The obvious answer is basketball. I could ride the bench and wave a towel pretty effectively, and you could probably give me 5 minutes of playing time halfway though the third quarter without me meaningfully lowering the US team’s chance at winning. I’d never touch the ball on offense, obviously, and I’d be a hilarious defensive liability, but I know the game enough to stay out the way of the people who are good at it. ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403/63 "2016-08-27T00:04:21Z")
I think Racewalking, if I practiced. I’ve always wanted to do that. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403/64 "2016-08-27T08:53:00Z")
Handball, maybe, for short spurts. I’d need to learn all the rules, though. Frankly, I’m so awed by what darn near every Olympian can do that I doubt I could compete with any of them. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403/65 "2016-08-27T17:56:30Z")
> [@67java89](#): > > I think Racewalking, if I practiced. I’ve always wanted to do that. As with most sports, it’s a lot harder to do well than it looks. I really can’t figure it out, because they sure don’t look like they’re going that fast, but if you do the math, the world class guys are walking just a little less than ten miles an hour (a little over six minutes per mile), for over 12 miles (20km). A low percentage of people could run that fast for that long, let alone walk it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-event-would-you-have-the-best-chance-in/762403.md?page=3)