WISHers in their late 40s and above, do you Dare To Dream

[windwalker]

Dear WISH friends who are in or heading into their 50s and beyond. There is a national competition for us that allows us to compete at state, national and soon world level in your own age group.

http://www.nsga.com/DesktopDefault.aspx


Your state has a yearly competition and then every two years there is a national senior olympics. Soon the European and American winners will be meeting for world age group competition.

My next trip to state will be in 2010 to qualify for the 2011 senior olympics in Houston. There is a competition next year but I'm not going to be ready yet.

If you are watching the olympics and wishing you were young and strong and had another chance to train and compete, well you do.

You have plenty of time to train for the 2010 state and then the 2011 games. You just have to want it.

When you compete at the national level it's just like the olympics you are watching now. Last year the games were in Louisville and 12,000 seniors competed. Athletes were from 50 to 102 years old, each competed in their own are group, measured in 5 year increments.

You can compete at all the swimming distances and styles, bike racing, running, racewalking, track and field, tennis, golf, team sports and lots of other sports.

I will of course be competing in the racewalking but I'm also thinking about the 100m and 200m sprint and the long jump. I'm a sprinter in body type.

Anyone else interested? Let me tell you from the opening ceremony to the start of your races it will be an experience you will never forget.

Dreamer Panda

 

[twoWDWfools]

That just sounds like so much fun and quite rewarding. Looks like I'll be 3 yrs shy of competing in 2011 however I'd love to make the trip to cheer on anyone competing!

 

[windwalker]

That just sounds like so much fun and quite rewarding. Looks like I'll be 3 yrs shy of competing in 2011 however I'd love to make the trip to cheer on anyone competing!

I plan to compete till I'm about 85 and then retire from competition and just do the fun stuff like Disney races.

Dreamer Panda

 

[twoWDWfools]

I plan to compete till I'm about 85 and then retire from competition and just do the fun stuff like Disney races.

Dreamer Panda

Well then sounds like we'll be able to compete in some Olympics together as this is something I would like to do. BTW, I was a sprinter in HS and would love to do that again.

 

[windwalker]

Well then sounds like we'll be able to compete in some Olympics together as this is something I would like to do. BTW, I was a sprinter in HS and would love to do that again.

Yep, same here. I won second place in the Las Vegas corperate challange games, long jump. I was beaten by a running back for the LA Rams who was doing PR work for a casino. I'm tired of flipping second place.

Dreamer Panda

 

[Steffwalks]

I guess I'm in!

 

[DisneyWalkerGirl]

I'd love to be enter 2010 when I turn 50, but I will really have to work on my new racewalking form - the min national standard for women in the 5000m works out to an 11:27 pace. That's about 1:45 minutes per mile faster than my best 5ks now, but hey I have only been officially racewalking for 2 weeks and I have 2 years to train

Kathy

 

[dsnyfan21]

I guess it will be awhile for me as I am only 39.

Tracy

 

[FatElvis]

That's so great! And the pictures on the front page of your link look every bit like the Beijing athletes - wow! (Albeit a bit grayer )

I looked at the Missouri state games just to check it out (I'm 37 so it'll be a bit yet). They competed just recently. I looked at the times for the road race events - there are some speedy seniors! Ed Burnham, the man who won the 85-89 divisions is a bit of a legend here in the KC area. He's run something like 100 marathons and I don't think he even started running till he was 70 or so. I talked to him during a race a few years ago - how cool. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity!

Good luck!

 

[chimera]

Can't wait to compete!

 

[windwalker]

If you don't have a dream, how could you ever have a dream come true?


Dreamer Panda

 

[SamSam]

I'm soon to be 55, so I'm definitely old enough! If I find somewhere close to get racewalking lessons, it is something I would definitely consider.

 

[windwalker]

I'm soon to be 55, so I'm definitely old enough! If I find somewhere close to get racewalking lessons, it is something I would definitely consider.

Well when are you going to be at Disney?

Dreamer Panda

 

[TEK224]

DArn! I'll miss the 2011 games. Won't be 50 until 2012. Well, at least that gives me time to get ready! I'm definitely in!

Terri

 

[windwalker]

DArn! I'll miss the 2011 games. Won't be 50 until 2012. Well, at least that gives me time to get ready! I'm definitely in!

Terri

You compete at state level the year before to qualify and then do the National competition so you would do state in 2012 and the nationals in 2013 not sure what city yet. It's a different state each time.

You surely have time to train and you can go to your state games website and see what the qualifing times were for the sport you are interested in. That will give you an idea what you need to shoot for.

Dreamer Panda

 

[wdw4us]

I happened to check into this last week and our state race walking competition is this Sunday at a track that is about 5 min from me. I was planning on checking out their form, times and snoop around.

When I told the girls at work about it, they said that's for "old" people and I did remind them that at 50 you qualify and I am beyond that point so I could still compete.

As someone who always wanted to play sports, hockey, football etc but I had a mom that didn't drive and had to rely on dad who didn't want to bother with all that time, I could not envision me on any level of sports or dance. I was a pretty good Hockey player and goalie even with figure skates on, catchers shin guards and a catchers mitt and mask.

I also was too shy at the time to take the initiative. My dad didn't want me to take dance lessons because we had to change clothes in front of other girls, ya I think that was a cop out so he would have to be committed to driving me to class. I am not really a competitive person but I do enjoy having fun, striving to achieve something and reaching my goal. Ah well, better late than never!

thanks

denise

 

[windwalker]

Denise one of the great things about the Senior Games is that you olny compete in your age group, they go in 5 year blocks. Since I'm 56 I compete in the 55 to 59 age group. So as you get older you just go to a different age group.

Let me tell you the older age groups are awesome to watch. Do you remember that story I told about the 97 year old? He fell hard on the 5K road course, tripped on a manhole cover, he was skinned and had some cuts but he shooed off the volunteers who rushed over to help him. I saw him again at the medal ceremony as they put that gold medal around his neck. He was all bandaged up but he was all smiles.

Dreamer Panda

 

[SamSam]

Well when are you going to be at Disney?

Dreamer Panda

I'll be at Disney this year Oct. 1-19th and again Dec. 1- 5.

 

[windwalker]

I'll be at Disney this year Oct. 1-19th and again Dec. 1- 5.

Well I'll just miss you we are arriving on Oct 20th and leaving the 29th. We will be back in january for 12 days around the marathon weekend.

Sad Panda

 

[SamSam]

Well I'll just miss you we are arriving on Oct 20th and leaving the 29th. We will be back in january for 12 days around the marathon weekend.

Sad Panda

Dang!

There's always next year! Can't make the Jan. Marathon, but we will be going several other dates. Haven't got the dates pinned down yet, but maybe we'll be there at the same time at some future date.