Are you still an athlete?

[Rustic23]

Went to college on a track scholarship. Now I am down to walking!

[mystang52]

Now at age 66 I consider myself an "athlete" but I don't think I can say I'm STILL an athlete. I was never athletically talented, although I played all of the sandlot sports as a kid. I was always one of the last to be picked for a team
As an adult I was in a men's softball league where I didn't embarrass myself. Alas, whatever non-embarrassing skills I had disappeared by my late 50's so I retired. I now regularly swim, run, and cycle. I do all 3 slowly but I'm still plugging away.

[RE2Boys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbo111 My question to you athletes out there; are you still competing in your childhood sport and how's it going?

Competing? No
Participating? Casually

Started running cross country in HS. Have never really stopped running, be it road racing, trail running, marathons, and now I'd classify myself as a jogger. Last marathon was at age 43 (primarily due to training was very time consuming and wanted to do other things). By age 48 pretty much stopped competing in road races as would rather spend time with my infant sons. In my 50s some knee issues cropped up and in early 60s a bad case of Achilles tendonosis ended any serious running, it took over two years before I could even jog again without pain. Now, though at one time I hated to be called a jogger, I'm truly a 70year old jogger. Three trail miles is my limit, and I do take walking breaks at that.

Once was an avid snow skier (and Ski Patroller) but somewhat lost interest in my mid-40s. Picked it up again when teaching my sons to ski when they were in middle school, but now I go once or twice a year. Nothing in western PA and NY is challenging.

In mid-40s, got into backpacking a lot but as described above, knees and Achilles tendon problem in my 60s had limited the miles I can cover but I'm game to get back into it.

Never was a serious cyclist but once the weather gets to about 60 and above, it's my main exercise activity. At least 15 miles per session, work into my hilly course, then extend that route out to 20+ mile workouts.

And I hate gyms and indoor workouts.

[Alan]

Started playing the fool at grade school and continue to play the fool today.

[imoldernu]

Re: the title...Not, "still"
But a chance to brag.

Back then, backstroke:
1953High School All-American Swim Team... 2nd.
1954 High School All-American Swim Team... 1st.

1956 NCAA All-American Swim Team (as a jr.) ... 4th.
1957 NCAA All-American Swim Team (sr. yr.)... 2nd.

Thru H.S and college, held pool records in 38 schools and Boy's Clubs in New England, some that lasted until the mid 1970's.

(sigh) since leaving Florida in 2012, haven't been in a pool.

Gimme a break... Not first in anything today.

[homestead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu Back then, backstroke: 1953High School All-American Swim Team... 2nd.

I was swimming the backstroke too in 1953, in amniotic fluid.

[aja8888]

Athletic, maybe not an "athlete" in the sense of the word.

High school baseball - 3rd base

College - Starting pitcher - Not good enough to go further

Later in life - softball pitcher - won city championship in Thousand Oaks, Ca - 1990 (I was 47 at the time)

!980 - late 1990's - Long distance running to remain healthy. Good enough to run 20 milers @ just under 7 minutes per mile.

Played a ton of golf from 20's until late 60's. Lowest handicap was 11. With that handicap you can lose a lot of bets.

Now just walk 10,000+ steps per day @ 75 years old.

[Dtail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Athletic, maybe not an "athlete" in the sense of the word. High school baseball - 3rd base College - Starting pitcher - Not good enough to go further Later in life - softball pitcher - won city championship in Thousand Oaks, Ca - 1990 (I was 47 at the time) !980 - late 1990's - Long distance running to remain healthy. Good enough to run 20 milers @ just under 7 minutes per mile. Played a ton of golf from 20's until late 60's. Lowest handicap was 11. With that handicap you can lose a lot of bets. Now just walk 10,000+ steps per day @ 75 years old.

Nice progression.

[eytonxav]

While my head says yes to being an athlete, my body strenuously disagrees.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtail Nice progression.

Thanks! It's a letdown as to what one can't do anymore as they get older, but as long as you are doing the best you can at something, it's still good!

[Dtail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Thanks! It's a letdown as to what one can't do anymore as they get older, but as long as you are doing the best you can at something, it's still good!

Agree. Love playing Pickleball, but sometimes miss mixing it up with the youngins at basketball, but just will not take the that chance of injury.

[robnplunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu Re: the title...Not, "still" But a chance to brag. Back then, backstroke: 1953High School All-American Swim Team... 2nd. 1954 High School All-American Swim Team... 1st. 1956 NCAA All-American Swim Team (as a jr.) ... 4th. 1957 NCAA All-American Swim Team (sr. yr.)... 2nd. Thru H.S and college, held pool records in 38 schools and Boy's Clubs in New England, some that lasted until the mid 1970's. (sigh) since leaving Florida in 2012, haven't been in a pool. Gimme a break... Not first in anything today.

Wow, that's impressive, Triton. In water, I sink like stone. Gravity and I are very close friends.



(The best I ever got was a 3rd place in US college boxing. But boxing served me well while growing up. Growing up in tough neighborhoods (in a 3rd world country, and in heart of Los Angeles), kids learned to leave me alone.)

[RobbieB]

Not me, no way! Never an athlete, no love (or even like) of sports ever.

I'm a nerd!

[SnowBound]

Ask me in six weeks after I throw these crutches away!

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtail Agree. Love playing Pickleball, but sometimes miss mixing it up with the youngins at basketball, but just will not take the that chance of injury.

I know a guy in his 80's with two knee replacements who is an absolutely smashing pickle ball player. I want to be like him when I grow up.

[kgtest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski Yes and no, probably more no than yes. I played a lot of different sports as a youth and young adult... tennis, skiing (snow and water... hence pb4uski), softball, volleyball and others. I did take up golf when I was in my early 20s. I gave up water-skiing regularly many years ago after my brother-in-law had a bad fall water skiing and got injured. I still snow skiied until a couple years ago once we started to snowbird (and miss it). I traded tennis for pickleball... the same fun with half the effort... but one needs to be careful of injuries in pickleball too. I do golf much more than I ever have... prior to retirement I was generally in the 95-105 range and today regularly play bogey golf or better (85-95 usually, with a career best 79 on a par 72 course). One surprise is that even playing with a cart, my fitness watch indicates that I walk about 3.3-3.7 miles playing 18 holes... I also sometimes will walk 9 holes with a pull cart. Until a couple years ago I would sometimes walk the front nine with a pull cart and take a cart for the more hilly back nine... if it is a cool day I'll consider it but on a hot, humid day... give me a cart.

LMAO I literally JUST now got the acronym of your handle hah.

[NanoSour]

I consider myself a jogger, but I do jog in running shoes. So I guess it's debatable.

If one could provide a definitive pace that separates a runner from a jogger, then I'd know for sure.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NanoSour If one could provide a definitive pace that separates a runner from a jogger, then I'd know for sure.

Depends on if you are being chased or not.

[HFWR]

Played several sports as a kid/teen. Played several seasons of league softball, and an occasional pickup basketball game. Was a jogger, but stopped due to w*rk and sloth. Still walk, bicycle, and throw weights around, but not competitively.

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NanoSour I consider myself a jogger, but I do jog in running shoes. So I guess it's debatable. If one could provide a definitive pace that separates a runner from a jogger, then I'd know for sure.

This could be a nice separate thread. After getting an Apple Watch a few weeks ago, I see that my track pace is way faster then my trail pace. Not that I am shooting for a fast pace. Rather that I want to keep the training heart rate at a reasonable level.

I think I'll start a thread on this.