Senior Athletes

I often address the young athlete here. The high school or younger person. Quite often, I will preach to the parents of those younger athletes.

But what about the old folks—those people that are still athletes yet burn a lot of birthday candles? What about them?

Caroline Haynes comes to mind. I’ve written about her before. Still an internationally competitive tennis player when most of those her age have long ago given it up.  She turned 85 this week. She looks 60 and plays like she’s 40.

Dr. Charlie Raper—still running. I have no idea how many miles he has run in his adult years. He turns 86 in August and is still running 5 days a week.

I knew a group of folks that were playing basketball 2-3 days a week, most in their 50’s. I’ve seen several senior citizens on local tennis courts. And then there’s pickleball.

Go by the courts at John Sevier and you’re likely to find a crowd. And it’s all ages. Someone a bit less mobile and a bit slower can compete at pickleball and have fun.

So, what does it take to play a sport when you leave your 20’s?

Basically, it’s the same things that allow you to be competitive in the first place. Strength. Agility. Flexibility. Endurance.

Before you go out and join an adult volleyball league or tackle a marathon, let me make one thing perfectly clear—you need medical clearance first.

If you don’t have a Primary Care Physician (PCP), then get one. Do not rely on the internet for medical advice. Let me repeat that: Do no rely on the internet for medical advice.

It’s OK to ask your PCP questions. Medical care should make sense to the consumer (you). If your PCP can’t explain the logic behind what they recommend for you, then maybe you should look elsewhere. But then do what they say.

The next step is to train for your sport. Sound familiar? You’ve got to spend the time in strength training. You need to make endurance activities that are not your sport a part of your regular exercise regimen.

Starting in our 30’s, we lose muscle mass at a rate of about ½% a year unless you do something about it. You work at a physical job? Doesn’t matter. You still need sport specific exercises.

You need to work on flexibility. Every. Single. Day. I’m a huge advocate of yoga but in a class, with a real yoga instructor. A video just won’t do it. Yoga will not only provide you with flexibility but will also teach you correct movement patterns and develop balance and agility.

As we age, balance and agility diminish. You’ve got to spend time every day to minimize the impact that your age imposes on you. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Talk to your physical therapist about that.

Just like all athletes, you need to eat well. The nutritional component to sports performance is huge. Ginormous. Garbage in, garbage out.

Sleep is huge. (And yes, I’m doing much better—sleep has never been one of my vices but I’m doing well now.) It is definitely more important to listen to your body as you get older. If your body is telling you to back off, you should listen. But if it’s your head doing the talking, you might ignore that. That could just be laziness speaking.

Train for it and there should be no reason why you can’t continue to participate in your sport of choice for a very long time. Just ask Caroline and Dr. Raper.

 

Danny's Song

I talked about time last week.  Our most precious commodity. You think you have plenty of it until you don’t.

Time ran out for a great friend of mine this week. A two plus year battle with cancer ended on Monday. Danny Smith was his name. He was a physical therapist and athletic trainer in Elizabethton.

The second best compliment I have ever had was being described once as the “Danny Smith of Maryville.” (The first is being told that I was a Don Story-kind of person by Jim Campbell.)

On Tuesday, friends from all across the country will converge on Elizabethton to celebrate our friend. We will love on the family but mostly will sit around and tell Danny stories.

Don’t worry—this is not about to turn dark and maudlin. That wouldn’t honor Danny at all. His smile would light up a room.  His laugh was huge and his stories were memorable. We will all laugh until our sides hurt when rehashing those memories.

It’s all about life and the pursuit of happiness. The life of the athlete and the pursuit of good health. What I write about most every week.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that an athlete that loves their sport is going to be better at it. They will work harder, remain focused, and pour all they have into that sport.

In my long (really long) career, I’ve seen lots of little guys that loved football. Loved everything about it.

Five foot five and a buck and a quarter-there shouldn’t be a place for them on a sport that seems designed for big people—right? That didn’t matter. They loved the sport and so they stuck it out and got good at it. Some really good.

They told Mugsy Bogues he was too little for basketball at 5’6”. He didn’t listen. His NBA career is legendary.

Lesson #1: Follow your passions. Lesson #2: Don’t listen to the naysayers.

I’ve told you about my tennis playing grandson. Loves the game. Will always go out and hit. He loves it.

That is the life you have to live if you want to be good. When it stops being fun, when you lose the love, move on.

Just a couple of months ago, one of my best friends realized that he didn’t love the bicycle anymore. This is somebody that I’ve spent 10-15 hours a week biking with for 30 years. We’ve done the equivalent of crossing the country several times together.

But when he didn’t love it, he quit. Sold all his bikes. Isn’t even tempted anymore. Although I miss him, I respect his decision. Biking should be fun. When it’s not, do something else.

Didn’t make the team? Work harder. Something is standing in front of you and your dreams? Conquer that something. Somebody tell you you’re not good enough? Prove them wrong.

I’m not saying that any high school athlete can play for the Lady Vols or make it to the Olympics, but you can be the absolute best you that you can be. You can play. You can compete.

Love the process.  Love the practice. Love the preparation. Love doing the little things. One day you might even surprise yourself.