Readers pose questions on soccer, supplements and the National Senior Games

The 4-minute Masters mile
In your Michelob ULTRA GeezerJock of the Year nomination of Jim Sorensen [GeezerJock, August 2007], you mention that the world record for the M40 outdoor mile is 4:02.53, which is correct. The fastest M40 mile was done by Eamon Coghlan on April 20, 1994, when he ran 3:58.15 indoors.

Lester Mount
Dallas

Soccer question
I am 70 years old and still play soccer here in Gainesville, Fla. I play on an over-40 team, but I am the oldest guy in the whole league. I can usually only find older age groups at tournaments. My question: Is there a list of teams within the United States that have teams (not just for tournaments) that are 50-plus, 55-plus or even 60-plus? Also, do you have a list of the various tournaments for us geezerjocks throughout the U.S.? Next question: I notice a lot of cities and towns have pick-up soccer games at various fields. I am looking for pick-up games where we geezerjocks would most likely be playing. Is there such a list?

Bill Heyl
High Springs, Fla.

Editor's note: The best resource for adult soccer that we know of is the U.S. Adult Soccer Association. The organization's Web site is www.usasa.com.

Volleyball complaints
Your article on the National Senior Games ["All about the W's," GeezerJock, August 2007] failed to mention the mismanagement of the volleyball competition. Players arrived to find that they would be playing three instead of the promised four days, that some teams would play as few as two matches instead of the advertised six, and that pool assignments exacerbated the inadequate single elimination format. A petition with 471 signatures was subsequently sent to the National Senior Games Association requesting that a double elimination format and "the scheduled days and number of matches described in the promotional material actually be delivered" in 2009. Past requests have been ignored --- perhaps 471 signatures will do the trick this time.

Jake Barkdoll
Rockville, Md.

Supplement questions
I'm a 70-year-old runner who had a meniscus repair last year and also suffers from osteoarthritis in that same knee. So I turned to the GeezerJock Doc's article "Joint Effort" [GeezerJock, May/June 2007] with considerable interest. But I was dismayed. When it came to glucosamine and chondroitin, you urged your lay readers to "...investigate the quality of the supplement they are taking because of the poor regulation of the industry." Why not use your own medical expertise and your own knowledge of the industry to tell us which supplements are good and which are not? Could it possibly be that you don't want to upset NOW Foods, which placed a couple of big ads for supplements on the pages of GeezerJock? Or, if you do compare and rate the products for the benefit of your readers, are you concerned that you might antagonize other manufacturers? Moreover, why not tell us which government agencies are failing to oversee the manufacture of these supplements and suggest that your readers become active in demanding regulation? Stop hedging and give us the real scoop. That would be a true public service.

Eve Pell
San Francisco

Editor's Note: The GeezerJock Doc (Masters sprinter and orthopedic surgeon Allan Tissenbaum) is an unpaid volunteer columnist for GeezerJock. He has nothing to gain by pulling punches in his column to accommodate the perceived viewpoints of advertisers in this magazine. The efficacy of dietary supplements varies widely from person to person, so Dr. Tissenbaum recommends that those suffering from osteoarthritis investigate the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin by trying a few brands to see which works best for them. A framework exists for the regulation of supplements, but it is not as rigid as the regulation of prescription drugs, for instance, and so the medical value and ingredients of supplements vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer.

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