“Senior”.
The word itself strikes terror in . . . ya know, I don’t think that word strikes terror in anyone; except maybe aging seniors. Even in High School the term didn’t really scare underclassmen. It was usually the Juniors and Sophomores that bothered the Freshman. Seniors had better things to do.
I never worried about seniors. I didn’t get my growth spurt ’til later so I was kinda happy to get out of Middle School because younger kids used me to make a name for themselves. And High Schools are bigger so there were lots of places to meld into and make oneself scarce. Anyway, once I started swimming and grew a bit, the fear was gone.
When you reach 50, it’s great being a “senior”. More discounts and renewed respect. And you’re rewarded, after another decade and a half usually, by not being forced to work for a living any more. The kids have left and so in their place you have grandkids; no rearing responsibilities. That’s nice.
The downside is that you’re closer to your expiration date and certainly past your optimal performing shelf life. That doesn’t mean you can’t kick it into gear anymore, though. It just means the time you spend in your top gear is shorter, generally, and your refractory period is a little longer; sometime a lot longer.
In the old days and I’m talking 400 years ago and more, seniors were generally so scarce that they were revered. To live to the age of 50 was impressive. 65 years of age qualified you as a “Sage”. Those that lived longer than that became “Seers” that people would travel far and wide to converse with.
With the advent of sanitation and the advances in medicine the average life expectancy has burgeoned from barely 30 years in 1850s to the low 80s these days.
And it used to be that once one was “over the hill”, their contributions to society were not physical but revolved around being reservoirs for bountiful “life experience” knowledge and nothing else.
That was then-this is now.
No longer are we slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.
The fitness craze of the eighties and 90s was embraced by more than a throng of individuals that are now entering their 7th and 8th decades of life.
We ain’t done yet. Not by a long shot.
And it’s heartening to see.
The youngsters still think they’re the roosters that the sun rises to hear crow. By now we all know better. We know our limitations but still push the envelope; just not as forcefully because, again, we know those limitations.
That’s not to say that it’s a “breeze”. Sometimes when acquaintances seem to be falling back left and right, you take solace in just being here. And until I go to the Vet and forget my pet I’m going to continue on.
Life is a thousand times too short to bore ourselves. Nietzsche said that. He was a smart guy for someone who didn’t even make it to 50.
Trying is the first step toward failure. That was Homer Simpson and he had a point. BUT, no one ever accomplished much by staying in their comfort zone. Our greatest glory is not that we never fall but in rising each time we do.
If your idea of “bold” is to mix your peas with your corn, you’re missing out. Look at me, I started with nothing and I still have most of it. Seriously, though, we all compete for one simple reason: our love of competitive swimming is greater than our fear of not satisfying our expectations.
Yes, mistakes are easier to make these days than ever before. Computers make it so if you just push the “send” button without making sure of your spelling, there can be consequences. I did that last month. I sent the message, “I appreciate that you’re very busty” to a busy gal friend of mine. Dang spellcheck. She hasn’t let me forget that one yet.
And in your day to day grind it’s easy to go on “auto-pilot” and miss things. At QFC the other day, I rushed in to get a loaf of bread and after I paid I grabbed the loaf and headed out. My brain, at this point, was expecting the cashier to ask if I wanted my receipt. When she said, “Have a nice day!” I said, “No thank you”.
I’ll avoid that cashier for a few weeks until she forgets.
Bottom line is: Those over 50 can generally be separated from those under 50 by their perspective regarding this axiom; Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you sow. Today’s youngsters prefer not to delay gratification. Oldsters know that the difference between a good meal and a great one is 30 more minutes of waiting for it.
And that is why swim meets are so special; especially ones just for us Seniors!
Seven team members ventured down to Lacey for the State Senior Games/Swimming edition, so first a quick acknowlegement to the Briggs YMCA for hosting and Henry Valz for running the show. And of course a hearty thanks to all the volunteers that helped make it possible.
Leading the charge as she was first in the pool was Val Thompson. Not only was she first in she also was the most frequent competitor, hitting the waves TEN different times!! When the smoke had settled she had 7 gold medals and 3 silvers to take home. She won every free event from the 25 to the 500. Her seconds were in the breast, back and the 100 IM. Nicely done, Val! And it was great seeing Vic, as usual. He is support staff for not only Val but the entire team as well!
Steve Fogg was there in full blown support mode. I think he was counting for someone in every heat of the 500 free. With LC Nationals on the very near horizon he conserved his strength, swimming in only 3 events but he made his presence known by winning all three. And not by just a little. Good luck at Nationals, Steve!!
Brent Barnes stopped by to win all three of the events he entered. He was involved in one of the best races of the day; he and an opponent in the 200 breast exchanged the lead probably 10 times throughout the race and, fittingly, it ended in a dead heat with them both touching in a very fast 2:56.56. He also won the 200 IM and 500 Free.
Ironman Dan Underbrink did his usual impersonation of the Greek God of the Sea by never being challenged while winning all 6 of the events he entered. This performance was on the heels of some great swims at Senior Nationals so was a bit anticlimactic, I suppose.
The Chairman of the Board, Tom Walker, swam 6 events, posting a first, 3 seconds, a third and a fourth. His 1300 yards of competitive swimming tied Dan for that distinction.
Bill Maibauer swam the 25, 50 and the 100 frees, grabbing a 2nd, a 3rd and a 4th. It was good to see him again as it had been a while.
And finally, me, myself and I swam 7 events registering 2 firsts and 5 seconds. More importantly, though, a couple of nice time drops in the 50 free and 100 IM made it encouraging for more good things to come, hopefully in the not too distant future.
Well done everyone! It was an interesting meet as lane 3 was shut down for the entire competition; the starting block was broken. All heats ran 5 swimmers instead of 6 but it did nothing to dampen the mood. The pool deck had recently been resurfaced so everyone was reminded regularly to watch the slipperiness; if not by a deck sign or an announcement, then by a little squirminess in one’s stride. We all got through it and brought a lot of medals home, though, and we’re looking forward to more!
In closing, we as seniors have seen a lot of changes. It is certainly a different time from when we were all kids. So it was weird, the other day, when I was dictating a message to my neighbor. The phrase “Some other cat” somehow ended up being sent as “Smother the cat”. I got a call from the ASPCA! I guess I gotta start checking my spelling a little better before I push the “send” button.
’Til next time!
Go TWIM!
