Athlete?

[imoldernu]

Care to share your personal athletic history? Bits and pieces come through in different threads, but how about "Athletes of ER Unite"?

Maybe some of the early days, and then what's going on now. Ahem... and how long will That last?

 

[MichaelB]

I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.

 

[Which Roger]

Used to run marathons, now 5 miles is a longish-run, and it takes about as long as 7 miles used to.

 

[Ronstar]

High school baseball and basketball. Ran some marathons since. Thinking about doing one more when I'm
65.

 

[savory]

Hopefully this will be timely for me. I will be moving to the Vacouver, WA area (Longview to Vancouver) and my first goal is to network for the following:

1. Hockey - A casual hockey game, preferably during the day that is designed for a good workout with all ages (or younger guys newer to the game) and many levels male & female. If that is not available, a league that divides players by skill which I know exists in the Vancouver, WA area
2. Basketball - Pick-up game for mostly older guys 40+ (or a blend of older/younger guys so I can match-up on D with at least one person on the court). Competitive but winning team does not get to hold the court the entire time. A league would be OK too.


In both sports, I have not played beyond pick-up but I have been playing them for years. My mind works faster than my body so I know the game but can't always execute. Having said that, I will not embarrass the team.

If you know of a gym/arena in Vancouver, WA are, you would recommend that you feel meets my criteria, let me know. If you know of a person who is participating in hockey/b-ball, I would look forward to speaking with them. Having moved around a little bit, I know this will take me a while to find the game that will fit me and the existing players. So, early contacts would be much appreciated. I'll do my best to follow this thread in case a person has questions.

Thanks

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Concept2 indoor rower. Fairly competitive in my age group. You can log your time on their website. The competitive nature encourages one to improve. Under 40 for the 10,000 meters. Under 1:35 for the 500 meters.

Do a few 5k's a year. Not real competitive in any age group.

Made the finals of the 880 yard run at the 1975 State Track Meet.

Got a platonic date with Alice in 1979. No one else could even talk to her.

 

[frayne]

Played some organized basketball and football in school also on the diving team. After school, got scuba certification and have made dives down to 185', have over twenty static line parachutes jumps both military and civilian, including night jumps and a jump from a C-141 jet. Golfer with two holes in one and have done over 600 miles in a day on a motorcycle. Gave up jogging after jump school and ranger school. Tried boxing but the only thing I was good at was hitting the canvas. I have never considered myself an athlete though.

Now at 66 I work out at least three times a week at Planet Fitness and still trying for that third hole in one, two to three times a week.

 

[REWahoo]

Athelete?

No, but my foot once belonged to one.

 

[REWahoo]

Athelete?

No, but my foot once belonged to one.

 

[dirt_dobber]

1975-1977 golden gloves boxing in Dallas Texas- was “volunteered” as a choice to get out of trouble by a great policeman- that experience helped me all throughout these years.
It taught me some much needed discipline, perseverance and other life skills. I was only average as a boxer though.

 

[UtahSkier]

Not an athlete at all in High School, cause I was a chess playing computer nerd. Still inactive all through college and the first few years of working (computer programming).

As I turned 26, I decided to make an effort and gain some weight so I could cast a shadow on sunny days. Yea, I was seriously underweight.

I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer (this is before training became a profit line item for gyms). I found one of the big, beefy guys who worked out all the time and paid him $120 per month for 6 months to workout together.

I gained nearly 30 lbs in a year. I hit a more reasonable weight of 155lbs. But, I had some belly fat, so I started running and biking. I bought a mountain bike and rode it all the time. I started running and did a few 10Ks, trying to beat my goal of 6 minute miles.

I developed a passion for sand court volleyball and did all kinds of weight training and conditioning to improve my skills. So, I became a gym rat.

And then I met my wife. I introduced her to mountain biking and she introduced me to skiing. So, we bike together all the time and ski together all winter (ski season is almost here!).

So, when we are not biking or skiing, we are in the gym improving our conditioning for biking and skiing.

And from time to time, I hurt my knee, so I have to switch to swimming. When swimming, I work my way up to 3000 yd session with a mixture of long course and short course (sprints) workouts.

Not a competitive athlete, but I work very hard to maintain functional conditioning for my activities.

Almost 56 right now. I gave up the volleyball and running as the knees cannot handle it. I will continue mountain biking until I get very hurt I guess( I had a significant head over handlebars event last summer and trashed my tricep). I will keep skiing as long my troublesome knee will let me. The last 2 seasons were great, so I got a season pass at the really hard local mountain (Snowbird). It is early in the leg conditioning phase and my troublesome knee is complaining more that it should).

 

[Nemo2]

I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.

".....instead of a bum, which is what I am..."

Love that scene.

 

[Winemaker]

Ran track, played baseball and basketball in high school. Quit to work in a hardware store.

Now I'm built backwards. Instead of my nose smelling and my feet running, my nose runs and my feet smell! rimshot

As an aside, I worked in the hardware business through high school and college while going to school. I used to tell folks that I was the real "Tony" in "Saturday Night Fever".

 

[Bestwifeever]

I just looked at my high school yearbook (class of 72, 800+ students in my class), and there were no girls sports, but I knew girls whose parents could afford gymnastics and tennis, and I guess there was still CYO softball for girls. One year I was on a bowling league, having never bowled before. The guys had the big sports and unlike today, they were just jocks, no pedestals for any of them. DH's brother was a sports superstar so DH gravitated instead to performing arts and still sings and plays instruments, and is in the occasional local theater production, while his superstar brother does zero athletic endeavors although he is in his high school and college's sports halls of fame.

My kids enjoyed athletic activities in HS and college and they still work out. DS was good at everything but didn't really like organized sports, but he still plays golf and can just pick up and run. DD started a club water polo team at her college that was a great experience (getting the club started really forced her out of her comfort zone and developed lots of managerial skills) and is still going strong 15 years later. Their friends who were stars in team sports stopped doing those after high school or college. It's too bad more high school sports budgets don't go into activities that can be lifelong pursuits, but then most people probably wouldn't keep doing them anyway. What's really sad is seeing parents overreact at their kids' games--I always wanted to say, go play on an adult baseball/soccer/basketball team.

DD's DH tore several knee thingies last year in his company's office olympics' dodgeball game. He was a superstar on their kickball team.

 

[jjquantz]

High school baseball and football. Ran for many years but finally gave it up when the knee stopped cooperating but not until after one marathon and one triathlon (and that was enough of each). Regular bicycle commuter for many years but I never really got into bicycling as a form of exercise. Played in a some amateur golf tournaments back when I was younger and in a Midwestern state where the competitive level was lower , but never really had a chance even then. Played pick up basketball at the college gym until I was about 40 when I decided that my fingers were more valuable on a musical instrument than on a basketball. Pick up tennis with friends.

Just your basic gym rat. More seriously, this is one of the areas that I struggle with as I age and the skills diminish.

 

[Dawg52]

Played a little HS basketball. Mostly keeping the benches warm for the starters. Also played on the golf team and still play golf today. Just proves....you don't have to be much of an athlete to play golf.

 

[wmc1000]

Ran track in Elementary school and was in a news article written by the local paper that made it around the world because it had a picture of our coach, A nun, (Catholic Elementary), running in her habit!

Played on High School golf team and played 1 meet as our number 4 varsity player. Went downhill ever since

 

[Nemo2]

Ran one marathon, age 41, in tensor bandages, before my knees quit.

 

[HadEnuff]

I have 6 holes-in-one, but that's mostly luck and playing a lot of golf.

But it's all I got.

 

[marko]

I was a state ranked ski racer in my high school days. Still ski as much as I can in winter but now relegated to the blue squares and groomed black diamonds. Knees are telling me it's almost time to spend more time drinking in the lodge girl watching.

Played hockey every Saturday night (pick up) for over 50 years and just hung up the skates a few years ago.

Funny story: needed some new equipment and went to a specialty hockey store. The guy there said "How old a boy is he?". I said: "The boy is 51 years old"

 

[candrew]

Played HS school soccer and ran track - only average at both.

Had much more success as a soccer referee beginning in my late 20's. What started as volunteering to be a linesman in our sons' youth soccer program, eventually morphed itself into a professional avocation that lasted 20+ years including U.S. Soccer and the NCAA.

 

[Eagle43]

I coached little league baseball for 8 years. We actually won the local championship the last year I coached. I have jogged 15,000 miles or so and walked about as many since knees told me to stop. I played basketball in high school. That's an exaggeration. I sat on the bench. Too short, the highlight of playing bb was scoring 14 points one night against pathetic competition.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Played tennis in high school and intramural in college. Was decent.

As an older adult I’ve actually been more athletic in many ways. I love to ski although living in Texas limits my opportunities. I love to hike including the PCT. I love to run and average around 35 miles per week. I’ve run 2 marathons and several shorter races. And I still play tennis competitively at a 4.5 level. It takes all that to maintain weight cause I also still very much enjoy eating.

Muir

 

[athena53]

I was terrible at team sports. I still am. Even HS gym class was heavy on team sports so I hated it.

Now, 50 years later, people call me "athletic". That's because I always stayed active. I do sprint triathlons, 35-mile charity bike rides and I'm in the gym every day. I'm loyal to one cruise line (UnCruise) because the activities they focus on are hiking, swimming, kayaking and snorkeling, not shopping and gambling.

There's a local corporate athletic competition in my area and I still compete as a retiree for a previous employer. I do all the endurance stuff where they can't find women in my age group to compete and it's a cinch to rack up points in my age group. Swimming is also low-hanging fruit because I'm willing to be seen in public in a bathing suit. This year I racked up so many points I got a Female MVP award from the team. I'm 64!

I do have a nephew who's an Olympic Gold and Silver medalist in swimming. I think I got the persistence and stamina genes, but the gross motor co-ordination came from the other side of the family (his mother, my SIL).

 

[bigcmagor]

Three time state racquetball doubles champion. But that was 25 years and 50 pounds ago. Tried taking up outdoor racquetball last January and my two big toe nails still haven't healed yet. Turns out stopping that extra 50 pounds it hard on one's feet.