What Pastimes Are Fading/Failing With Aging Boomers?

[kcowan]

Are there dedicated walkways also or are these lanes both for bikes & walkers or are walkers just out of luck? Thanks.

Yes, the bike lanes return the sidewalks to the heads down walkers! Also the remote delivery robots!

 

[HFWR]

We have many dedicated bike lanes and pedestrians are regularly injured walking or standing in them.

I only ride the MPTs around here; too much traffic, and too many distracted drivers. But the pedestrians are just as bad as the bikers, in terms of ignoring trail etiquette, and many are wearing ear buds, so nothing short of a foghorn will get their attention.

 

[haha]

We have many dedicated bike lanes and pedestrians are regularly injured walking or standing in them.

Good point. But you forget that in this case the injured party put himself in the injurers domain. Not true on the public sideWALK!

One thing that does help us walkers (including default walkers like me who own no car or bicycle)is that our sidewalks are in such bad repair that anything other than a trail bike will ruin tires and wheels in a week of use by the usual sidewalk loving bicyclists.

Ha

 

[haha]

Yes, the bike lanes return the sidewalks to the heads down walkers! Also the remote delivery robots!

Obliviously you are not a walker. But even those of us who keep our heads up usually do not have eyes in the backs of those heads. Though given enough bicycle creeps, eventually evolution will provide this feature.

 

[Amethyst]

Maybe this is why people are evolving to be bigger and fatter? To present a more intimidating target?

Obliviously you are not a walker. But even those of us who keep our heads up usually do not have eyes in the backs of those heads. Though given enough bicycle creeps, eventually evolution will provide this feature.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Bocce is the official sport at our lake house.

Nice

 

[Texas Proud]

Whatever happened to the big heavy weight fights? I do not hear or see anything about that at all these days. My Dad told me he saw Muhammed Ali fight Joe Frazier. Nowadays there is nothing going on that I can see for heavy weight boxing. What happened?

Almost all boxing has gone PPV... so unless you are willing to dole out $50 to $100 (maybe more) bucks you will never see one again...


I just looked up one champion in Wiki and there has been 4 championship fights in the last year and a half... that I would say is maybe even better than when I was young... it seems from memory there was 1 or 2 per year.... not 3....



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Joshua



Well, decided to look up Ali.... he did do 3 fights in a year a few times... one year (when champion) he did 6...

 

[scrabbler1]

I have always found a good selection of greeting cards at my local Target. Even my supermarket has a decent selection, which is good because I don't have to make a special trip.

 

[GravitySucks]

We have many dedicated bike lanes and pedestrians are regularly injured walking or standing in them.

A local park has separate paths for walking and wheels. Walkers are always in the bike paths, never see a bike or a roller blader on the walking path.

 

[Koogie]

Almost all boxing has gone PPV... so unless you are willing to dole out $50 to $100 (maybe more) bucks you will never see one again...
I just looked up one champion in Wiki and there has been 4 championship fights in the last year and a half... that I would say is maybe even better than when I was young... it seems from memory there was 1 or 2 per year.... not 3....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Joshua
Well, decided to look up Ali.... he did do 3 fights in a year a few times... one year (when champion) he did 6...

One of issues for North Americans is that the champions for the last decade or more in the marquee classes haven't been American. Boxing really means two things. Heavyweight champion and sometimes middleweight champion. The other classes don't really matter.

A Briton just won the world heavyweight championship over a Ukrainian (Joshua vs Klitschko). Almost not covered in the press here but in Europe it was massive and an incredible fight. It was the biggest crowd at Wembley since WWII.

I saw the world light heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden in 2008 (Jones vs Calzaghe). Thrilling and something everyone who likes boxing should see once in their life.

I won't proffer my low opinion of MMA.

 

[Midpack]

So after reading this thread, which was quite interesting, I think we can conclude that "things change over time". Big question is "is the change accelerating?" Seems obvious that it is but why? Probably demographics (baby boomers aging) and technology? Any other theories?

I've been involved in trying to stem the decline in sailing and golf where I live, and it's not gone well. Right or wrong, the reasons given are:

• less disposable income nowadays, golf and boating are more expensive than they used to be (relatively)
• outdated rules & structure (with exceptions, an acute and totally unnecessary problem with golf & sailing IMO)
• fewer two parents households
• where families used to do some activities together, kids grow out of that much younger these days - would rather be caught dead than with Mom & Dad outside the house
• way more competing activities now, sailing & golf don't have a chance with younger generations up against snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, and many others, etc.
• being outside doing anything is less common today, edged out by social media & gaming in more cases
• many of the old pastimes take too long (all day), move too slow
• and mostly if you've seen yacht and golf country clubs median age lately, why would anyone younger than 50 want to hang out there?

IME a majority of Boomers are hastening the path to oblivion for golf and sailing by trying to "uphold tradition" and resist any real attempts to change to attract younger generations. The changes they support are poorly implemented window dressing more often than not, and yet declining participation is one of the most common topics for conversation...

 

[donheff]

A literal explosion of a newer sport on my lake at Woodhaven.

Kayaking

In just one year, has gone from less than 10 on the whole lake, to 70 or 80... with new ones every day.

Another booming sport is stand-up paddle boarding. They are all over the place. Windsurfing went through about a two decade boom that I participated in and then faded out to almost nothing. Kite Sailing took over a bit but the accessible locations are more limited so it hasn't replaced windsurfing in numbers.

 

[MichaelB]

So after reading this thread, which was quite interesting, I think we can conclude that "things change over time". Big question is "is the change accelerating?" Seems obvious that it is but why? Probably demographics (baby boomers aging) and technology? Any other theories?

Yes, tastes do change. Not much in the way of supporting data for many of the claims, so hard to tell just how great some of these declines are.

One explanation may be business strategies. Disney, for example, announced a decline in theme park attendance in 15 of it's 16 properties. Apparently, that was their intention. Too many complaints about excessive waiting in line, so they sharply raised the price to reduce the volume, and still have revenue growth.

It would not be a surprise to see this happening with other entertainment and sports. Income increases even as participation declines, as businesses and industries refocus their efforts toward smaller but wealthier groups.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Reading the newspaper, obviously.

The needlework arts and crafts of knitting and crocheting, needlepoint, cross stitch and other embroidery, and maching home sewing of clothing and household items.

Speaking of live theater--we were recently at a wonderful show at an old theater and it was painful watching some patrons try to sit in the little old seats designed for the size of bottoms that were common several decades ago. Unlike the airlines, theater seats started small; by the end of the first act several people were standing in the side aisles rather than trying to sit in their seats.

 

[SecondCor521]

Our duplicate club is holding its own on membership, but you're right, attracting younger players is a chore. But it is a game/mental exercise that you never stop learning new things about and trying to improve at. I'm involved in our supervised play/instruction for new players as well as running our novice game. I'd bet a local duplicate club could help you also. The great thing about duplicate is that whether you get good/bad cards doesn't matter as everyone plays the same hands/boards.

As for younger players, we have about 10 of 100 members under 50, though we have a 17 yr old who's a whiz - ranked about 17th in ACBL Master Points for under 21's & has been a director for 2 years already.

Three games a week keep the brain moving.

I agree that it is a fabulous game. I play both party and duplicate but much prefer duplicate because it, as you state, avoids the lucky cards factor, and the bidding is usually much more rational. Bidding boxes also are better than verbal bidding in several ways.

There is a local ACBL but they charge $8 for the beginner games and they seem to be an insular and offputting group from what I can gather. I'll probably play there sometime soon just to see for myself.

That's OK though, I play with my duplicate learning group weekly, another duplicate learning group monthly, my Dad's Friday group, my Dad's monthly group, my Dad's friends' twice-monthly duplicate group, and occasionally with my Dad's friends' Tuesday group.

I do try sometimes to get friends my age interested in the game but it's hard to convey its appeal. There is somewhat of an initial learning curve to get over that I think requires some motivation to start.

 

[jollystomper]

I believe another reason for golf's decline is the amount of time it takes to play a round that doesn't have the action of a video game , considering how attention spans have gotten shorter. Being out on a course for 3-4 hours is exhausting for some people to think about.

One of my friends says his kids will happily play video game golf, but when he got them onto an actual course they were bored and complained on how long it was taking ("this isn't like the video game!"). Interesting.

 

[Music Lover]

One of my friends says his kids will happily play video game golf, but when he got them onto an actual course they were bored and complained on how long it was taking ("this isn't like the video game!"). Interesting.

I took music lessons a few years ago during the time that the game Guitar Hero was popular. The instructor told me that he had a lot of new students that thought guitar would be cool but every one of them quit once they found out it wasn't that easy to play.

 

[Luck_Club]

I've been involved in trying to stem the decline in sailing [-]and golf[/-] where I live, and it's not gone well. Right or wrong, the reasons given are:

• less disposable income nowadays, golf and boating are more expensive than they used to be (relatively)
• outdated rules & structure (with exceptions, an acute and totally unnecessary problem with golf & sailing IMO)
• fewer two parents households
• where families used to do some activities together, kids grow out of that much younger these days - would rather be caught dead than with Mom & Dad outside the house
• way more competing activities now, sailing & golf don't have a chance with younger generations up against snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX, and many others, etc.
• being outside doing anything is less common today, edged out by social media & gaming in more cases
• many of the old pastimes take too long (all day), move too slow
• and mostly if you've seen yacht and golf country clubs median age lately, why would anyone younger than 50 want to hang out there?

IME a majority of Boomers are hastening the path to oblivion for golf and sailing by trying to "uphold tradition" and resist any real attempts to change to attract younger generations. The changes they support are poorly implemented window dressing more often than not, and yet declining participation is one of the most common topics for conversation...

I too have explored the decline in sail boat racing from a theoretical point of view. Mainly because no one [-]in power[/-] on the race committee wants to hear from a 38 year old just entering the sport on how it can be improved. My top observations over the past 11 years:

A) Fees for nothing. PHRF certs every year, sailing USA membership, race fees, where the fees for 1 entry is 2-3X the value of the first place prize. Then the race committee uses gov't marks, and a couple of cans of air.
B) Same winners with no PHRF adjustments to the boat year after year. Many of the boats who win year after year have stripped the boat, which was selected because of favorable PHRF ratings. This puts the "family" boat guy at a severe disadvantage. PHRF adjustment at the club or area level should be implemented to level the playing field for "beer can races".
C) Costly upgrades can mean the difference between winning and losing. If it costs you $5K+ every 3 years for new sails to stay competitive, wheres the fun in blowing college tuition, and future retirement just to play.
D) Long work hours... It seems very difficult for people to knock off a bit early every now and then for sailing.
E) Kiddie activities... Everyone is so involved in being at every ballgame their kid plays.

In my opinion AB&C can be controlled to help breathe life into the sport. D&E are shifts beyond the control of the race committees.

 

[Breedlove]

Remember a guy walking into a local music store asking one of the guys if they had those guitars that play themselves.

 

[gerntz]

I agree that it is a fabulous game. I play both party and duplicate but much prefer duplicate because it, as you state, avoids the lucky cards factor, and the bidding is usually much more rational. Bidding boxes also are better than verbal bidding in several ways.

There is a local ACBL but they charge $8 for the beginner games and they seem to be an insular and offputting group from what I can gather. I'll probably play there sometime soon just to see for myself.

That's OK though, I play with my duplicate learning group weekly, another duplicate learning group monthly, my Dad's Friday group, my Dad's monthly group, my Dad's friends' twice-monthly duplicate group, and occasionally with my Dad's friends' Tuesday group.

I do try sometimes to get friends my age interested in the game but it's hard to convey its appeal. There is somewhat of an initial learning curve to get over that I think requires some motivation to start.

Sounds like you're into it with all the playing you do. Great. You're right about the learning curve. I laugh to myself when people talk about how they are good euchre players. They have no idea.

Sorry on the club experiences. That's unlikely to happen at our place & would be quickly dealt with when it did. Jerks are everywhere. It's self-defeating to put people off. Looks like there's a beginner's game on Thursday at 1230 at the Boise Cooperative. I think you'd find that the most inviting.

Clubs charge same to beginners & experienced folks alike. Beginners are probably more work for directors! $8 is within typical range to play though on the high side of average. I'd say $7 is average & have seen $5-12.

Duplicate players on average know WAY more about the game than party/social players (Money games are another story yet.), so bidding would be more rational. Fascinating to me all the different systems people use. Good Luck.

 

[SecondCor521]

Sounds like you're into it with all the playing you do. Great. You're right about the learning curve. I laugh to myself when people talk about how they are good euchre players. They have no idea.

Sorry on the club experiences. That's unlikely to happen at our place & would be quickly dealt with when it did. Jerks are everywhere. It's self-defeating to put people off. Looks like there's a beginner's game on Thursday at 1230 at the Boise Cooperative. I think you'd find that the most inviting.

Clubs charge same to beginners & experienced folks alike. Beginners are probably more work for directors! $8 is within typical range to play though on the high side of average. I'd say $7 is average & have seen $5-12.

Duplicate players on average know WAY more about the game than party/social players (Money games are another story yet.), so bidding would be more rational. Fascinating to me all the different systems people use. Good Luck.

Unfortunately, it's the people running the Boise joint who are the problem. They are apparently curmudgeonly and not welcoming to new players. But if I did play there, yes, the Thursday beginner's game is the one I would go to.

I played in a party game the other day where the lady running the game announced that partnerships getting set would be required to pay 10 cents per trick (20 cents if vulnerable or doubled, 40 cents if vulnerable and doubled) into a kitty that went to the overall winner. My Dad (life master) and I didn't like this because it skewed the bidding. Still felt that way after my Dad turned out to be the overall winner. $6 for first plus $10.60 in dimes. My Dad and I are good enough that over time we probably make back our entry fees plus a little, but I consider it to be cheap entertainment. Entry is usually $1/person and we play for 2-3 hours.

I've only been playing a year, but I play pretty much Audrey Grant / SAYC. The only modification I personally have made is that I will open 1NT with 2 doubletons. My Dad and I also have a partnership agreement that a 2NT response means support for opener's suit plus slam interest. One of my teachers says that it is much better to play the basic stuff consistently well rather than the complicated stuff poorly, so that's what I'm focusing on now. Oh, and trying to get better at counting suits. I can usually count four suits through 7 or 8 tricks, but when people start sluffing it gets tricky. It's also turning out not to be as valuable to me as I thought, since it takes away focus from other things and on defense at least there are not that many times where you have a choice that ends up making a difference.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Lawn Bowling

 

[googily]

My 84-year-old father still laments the loss of groups of friends standing around a piano at parties singing old songs.

 

[Music Lover]

My 84-year-old father still laments the loss of groups of friends standing around a piano at parties singing old songs.

We sit around a fire and sing along to acoustic guitars. And one nice thing about smart phone technology and the internet is that you can easily find the lyrics and chord changes to virtually any song you want.

 

[meierlde]

Fully agree. Did Palau in 2016 and loved it. We just can't bring ourselves to prioritize diving in colder water so Galapagos and Cocoa Islands remain on the list but may never do those. Too many warm water places we haven't done yet! [emoji41]

Just out of curiosity did the boats in Palau have ladders? Back in 1988 when I dove there (on a business trip to Indonesia) it was a small boat with a back roll entry and being pulled into the boat.