One for the ages
By Sean Martin
For all of Tiger Woods' impressive accomplishments, there's one feat he probably won't achieve for another 30 years. Only then will Woods be about ready to join an elite club of players who've shot their age, an accomplishment that requires both impressive skill and longevity. "Obviously, shooting your age really depends on both how old you are and how good you are," said nine-time major champion Gary Player. "I would say that a pro should be able to shoot his or her age in their mid-60s and an amateur in their early- to mid-70s. If you're a weekend hacker you simply may never do it." . . . keep reading...>>
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Pick-up artists
By Brion O'Connor
They are the original "Lions of Winter," aging warriors who tape up old sticks, old equipment and old joints for another spin around the ice. And another … and another. "I do it because I can. I pride myself in not acting 62 and not looking 62. Part of it has to do with the sheer love of athletics, and the object of my affection always has been hockey," says Craig Walker of Beverly, Mass., fresh off a Saturday workout with the North Shore Skating Association outside Boston. "It's just something between people who play the game. It's really a passion. I think the sport feeds both the body and the soul. I'm not very religious, but if I have a religion, it's hockey. To me, it's my fountain of youth. It's my place to escape." That, in a nutshell, is what draws people to hockey -- good-natured but keen competition, a good sweat and afterwards a cold beer. . . . keep reading...>>
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Q&A with Senator John Kerry
By Wendy Booher
John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in the 2004 election, remains in politics as a senator from Massachusetts. He also remains active, and cycling is still one of his favorite sports. He talked with Masters Athlete about what he loves about the sport, the potential of cycling to fight obesity and other problems, and his dream tandem partner. . . . keep reading...>>
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Organics: Are they worth it?
By Matthew Kadey
Organic food sales have grown 15 percent or more every year over the past decade, which indicates many Americans are concerned about how their food is nurtured. And these days, the term "organic" is applied to many fitness foods such as pasta, chicken and milk. Heck, even Wal-Mart has jumped on the organic bandwagon. But are these so-called "greener" foods worth their lofty prices? Let's find out. . . . keep reading...>>
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Battling plantar fasciitis
By Allan Tissenbaum, M.D.
Plantar fasciitis is a very common cause of heel pain in the athlete. The plantar fascia is a tough band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel bone to the base of the toes. The primary purpose of this fascia is to provide a strong base of support for the foot. The most common complaint of an individual who is suffering from plantar fasciitis is morning pain. People state that the first step they take in the morning is excruciatingly painful. This a.m. pain will often dissipate, but in some people it worsens as the day goes on. People who work or spend large parts of the day on their feet on hard surfaces often complain of increasing pain toward day's end. Repetitive pounding in worn shoes or shoes that do not provide much arch support can also be a cause of this pain. . . . keep reading...>>
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In gear
By Dan Rabin
For its marvelous routes for both mountain bikers and road racers, Durango, Colo., tucked in the southwestern corner of the state, earns Masters Athlete's nod as the No. 1 town for Masters cyclists to live. Durango and the other nine cities on our list made the cut, because they each scored high in four areas: climate/terrain, training facilities, events and number of local riders. The large majority of the places populating our list are in the West, where the combination of hills and wide-open spaces tends to make for good riding. All of these cities, however, may one day be eclipsed by a community in the eastern United States that is not on our list (but is described in greater detail at the end of this story). Currently in the planning stages, Pla d'Adet, in the hills of South Carolina, is a community that will be built around cycling, the way that developments in Florida and Arizona are built around golf. The summaries of our top 10 cycling towns for Masters riders begin below. . . . keep reading...>>
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Secret Aged Men win pond hockey championships
Nothing says hockey like a frozen lake and some ice-cold Canadian brews. For the third consecutive year, USA Hockey and Labatt Blue teamed up in Eagle River, Wis., for the USAdult Hockey Pond Hockey Championships. The tournament started on a sunny but frigid Friday. "Because of the cold, we had about 30 inches of ice over the lake that actually made for perfect conditions," said USA Hockey's director of adult hockey, Ashley Bevan. In spite of typical Northwoods temperatures and snow, participation continued its increasing trend. This year the number of teams jumped to 142 from 80 last year. A women's division with six teams also was added. "It was by far the best tournament we've been to," said Jena Palermo of Flash, the women's division champion. . . . keep reading...>>
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Crash-B and burn
By Brion O'Connor
Want to make eight minutes feel like an eternity? Hop aboard a Concept2 Model D ergometer rowing machine with 70 or so of your closest friends and try to rip through 2,000 meters as fast as you can. Rarely have I seen so many people suffering from motion sickness while going absolutely nowhere. Welcome to the CRASH-B Sprints, better known as the Indoor Rowing World Championships, held in February in Boston. "With 500 meters to go, I promise my body, 'Just don't embarrass me. Don't let me throw up or pass out, and I'll never do this again,' " said 75-year-old Robert Sleigh of Amherst, Mass., managing a wry grin after winning the top spot in the veterans lightweight 75-79 category. "Then, of course, the memory of the pain fades afterwards, and I break my promise." . . . keep reading...>>
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Hullender flying high
By James Achenbach
The popularity of senior amateur golf competition has grown dramatically in the past five years. There is now a national senior amateur circuit and accompanying national rankings, compiled by Golfweek magazine. In 2007, more than 600 golfers earned rankings points in the regular senior division (55+) and the super senior division (65+). Nowhere in the rankings is there a golfer more intense -- or more successful -- than Bob Hullender of San Antonio. Hullender, 71, is a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who flew 221 missions as a pilot in Vietnam. Now, despite a series of physical ailments, he commonly plays in 35 to 40 golf tournaments a year. . . . keep reading...>>
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Tebow wins over Raschker
Philippa Raschker, the 61-year-old Masters track athlete who was a finalist for the AAU's Sullivan Award, did not win the award Monday night, April 1. The award, wich recognizes the nation's top amateur athlete, went to University of Florida football player Tim Tebow, who also won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. Raschker was the only Masters athlete among the finalists, a group which also included Jeff Lerg, an ice hockey goalie for 2007 NCAA champion Michigan State; Angela Tincher, a softball pitcher for Virgina Tech; and Jonathan Horton, an All-America in gymnastic for the University of Oklahoma. . . . keep reading...>>
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Righteous Running Towns
By Dan Rabin
Eugene, Ore., is Track Town USA. It's the town where Steve Prefontaine, America's martyred, patron saint of distance running made his name. And it's he town where Nike was founded. For these reasons and others, Eugene tops Masters Athlete's list of the best running towns for Masters runners. Our staff evaluated the towns in terms of climate/terrain; training facilities; events and the number of local participants. For each criterion a town could earn as many as five stars. Eugene received a perfect score of 20 stars. In the following story you can see how other top running towns, such as Boulder, Colo., San Francisco and, of course, Boston, rate for Masters runners. . . . keep reading...>>
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The Everest Workout
by Sean Burch
Eleven years ago, my dream was to climb Mt. Everest -- solo and without supplementary oxygen. I kept that dream buried for years until my grandfather's death made me realize how precious life is. The time to live out one's dreams is now. After four years of intensive training, I succeeded in reaching Everest's summit. Since then, I've dedicated my life to helping others achieve their goals and dreams. I call my approach to training hyperfitness. With hyperfitness, individuals set their own goals and attain them personally and professionally. In the process, people discover they're stronger and tougher than they realized. Hyperfitness is an integrated lifestyle program that addresses three crucial components of wellness: hyperstrength, hyperfare and hypermind. I awaken each day with five minutes of meditation, then move right into my dojo to begin training. I warm-up each day with at least a three-mile run on the treadmill, starting at a comfortable pace and gradually building over each mile. I end each exercise session with at least 15 minutes of stretching and yoga. In between, I am constantly mixing up my routine so it's never stale. . . . keep reading...>>
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Camping off the beaten path
By Brion O'Connor
If you're like me, you grew up dreaming of following in the footsteps of heroes from the "Big Four" sports. I followed the fortunes of many favorites, including Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, Joe Namath of the New York Jets, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Willis Reed of the Knicks and Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (don't ask about the New York-Boston conflict -- it's complicated). And if I had a chance today to attend an adult "fantasy" sports camp with any of these greats, I'd jump at it. But as I grew older, different sports began to catch my fancy. And there are plenty whose heroes come from outside the traditional ball-and-stick variety. There's running (Bill Rogers), cycling (Greg LeMond), NASCAR (Dale Earnhardt Sr.), mountaineering (Sir Edmund Hilary) or golf (Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus), to name same. Fortunately, there are a number of adult sports camps that also cater to these pursuits. Here's a sampling of some favorites: . . . keep reading...>>
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Still running
By Dan Rabin
Frank Shorter is one of America's most decorated distance runners. He's a five-time national 10,000 meters champion, four-time national cross-country champion and winner of Japan's prestigious Fukuoka Marathon four consecutive years. In the 1971 Pan Am Games, he won both the 10,000 meters and marathon. But by far his best-known achievement is his 1972 gold medal in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Munich. That year, he was honored with the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. The following Olympics, in 1976 in Montreal, he was the marathon silver medalist. At age 41, Shorter won the World Masters Duathlon Championship (run-bike-run). He was the first chairman of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and currently acts as an unofficial spokesperson for the agency. Now 60, Shorter lives and trains in Boulder, Colo. . . . keep reading...>>
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Tendon trouble
By Allan Tissenbaum, M.D.
Dear GeezerJock Doc: I am 60 years old and have been swimming for the past 12 years. About a year ago, I started having pain in my right shoulder. An MRI showed tendonitis of the rotator cuff. I haven't been able to get rid of the problem. I stayed out of the pool for six weeks and I cut back my swimming time and took anti-inflammatories, to no avail. It doesn't hurt when I swim, but the next day I can feel it. Am I destined to have this forever? I love to swim! -- Jan Bartelt. Read on to see how the GeezerJock Doc believes that a combination of rest, stretching and weightlifting can alleviate the pain associated with tendonitis. . . . keep reading...>>
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Turning 70 on the run
By Matt Draper
A marathon can be daunting, but what about a race that tackles more than five times the distance over six grueling days? Throw in a 1,700-mile trip to Costa Rica and a sweltering racecourse that varies from rainforest to desert, and you've got what most athletes would consider a mountainous challenge. But that's how Jay Norman wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday in January. A racing veteran who has completed more than 200 ultramarathons -- continuous runs of more than 26.2 miles -- Norman competed in The Coastal Challenge (TCC), a 230-kilometer, six-day Costa Rican expedition race, in each of its three installments. In addition to celebrating his birthday, Norman had some unfinished business. . . . keep reading...>>
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Cycling
