How many of you guys are good athletes...

[billharris44]

I don't know if I'm a decent athlete, but I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

What sport and what do you define as an "athlete"? I fancy myself a decent cyclist (can do 25 mph for an hour whereas pros are at 28-30 mph for the 40k).

That's much, much better than "decent."

[JackB1]

I've always been able to play many different sports pretty well.
Here is what I have played, in order of proficiency:

1- racquetball (solid "B" player) play 3-5 times a week
2-hockey (played in college and still play in rec leagues, ice and roller)
3-softball (adult rec leagues - can usually hit over 750 with no problem...not a power hitter, but can hit singles all day long)
4-baseball - played in high school and still occasionally in adult leagues
5-hoops - play in adult leagues
6-soccer - play in adult leagues
7-bowling (avg around 175)
8-tennis (competent)

[slyguy]

Pitched at the minor league level(AAA)till i got hurt also played in some independent leagues

[mobiggins]

I'm 27 and in decent shape.
I play ice hockey goalie in pickup games, I try to go at least once a week. I've lost about 25lbs in the last 2 years or so after giving up all meat except for fish and seafood.
I hate to work out and don't really do any other sport besides ice hockey...except I do ride my bike here and there, though not on any performace level. ..I'm pretty happy where I'm at, though I wish I had more of an appetite for working out, lifting weights, etc...

[anchester]

played HS tennis. I am 39 and play short court full court BBall 2 to 3 times a week. I am the hustler guy on the floor.

[webdanzer]

I can touch my nose with my tongue!

[James_E]

Played HS football and rugby, rugby in first year university. Played ice hockey since I was 5.

Still play hockey once/twice per week and am generally one of the more solid players in relatively competitive "old guy" leagues. Play squash here at work in a ladder and do alright.

Also play intramural soccer, where I'm a solid defensemen with tons of endurance running up and down the field.

Golf (game not a sport though..) to a 9 handicap, which would be alot lower if I played more than 10 or so rounds/year.

[JackB1]

forgot about golf (thanks James)
I shoot around 90 on my better days

I've always been able to play many different sports pretty well.
Here is what I have played, in order of proficiency:

1- racquetball (solid "B" player) play 3-5 times a week
2-hockey (played in college and still play in rec leagues, ice and roller)
3-softball (adult rec leagues - can usually hit over 750 with no problem...not a power hitter, but can hit singles all day long)
4-baseball - played in high school and still occasionally in adult leagues
5-hoops - play in adult leagues
6-soccer - play in adult leagues
7-bowling (avg around 175)
8-tennis (competent)

[vader29]

I'm 35 and not in the greatest shape, I ride a bike anywhere from 10 to 30 miles on the weekends in the warmer months and am thinking of possibly joining a dek hockey league either this summer or fall, haven't played street hockey since high school.

[BasketballJones]

I'm 44 and in better shape than when I was 34. At 39 I broke my hip playing basketball and was told my playing days were over. My youngest was 2 he's 7 now and that was all the motivation I needed. I got on different rehab routines but it felt like work. My full-time job is as a juvenile corrections supervisor so I had to keep it up for survival.

I bagged the gym and weight machines and do everything in moderation when I feel like it, but I do something every day. I hate to workout but I use dumbbells and 2 Weilder curl bars. They don't up much room and there is no more than 200 lbs on the curl bar which I use to bench press (when I put that much weight on). I do it whenever I want. I weigh 210 (down from my fatass 230 after the hip) . I played a few games of softball with my old team but new young players who think I'm 34 and plan to play this year. I golf, hoop, coach and play sports with my kids, everything with my kids.

In my young days I had 2 knee operations a broken ankle and torn ligaments on the other ankle. I played hard and I felt it at 38; but in my mind I was old because some of the skills deteriorated. I met a guy who is now 78 and is a bodybuilder and gets the stares from young ladies (I may have a man crush on him). It took a heart attack to wake him up. All I want is my wife to stare at me and be able to run with my kids and one day grandkids. There is an over 50 softball league that has more participants than the younger softball leagues. I'm 6 yrs away from joining it but it's nice to still have your sight on playing at that age.

Whatever you do make your exercise routine and activities fun. Age is in the mind. Just do it and have fun. I'm in better shape today that in my younger beer drinking days. And when you have kids it's an ego booster to be in better condition than some of the younger dads.

[pk500]

Great story about the older dude, BJones. Funny story about my old man, who is 77.

He used to run almost every day, play tennis, cross-country ski and play golf, into his mid-60s. Now he's an avid walker, logging 2 to 5 miles almost every day, and does sit-ups and plays golf.

My wife and I had a basic home gym, without about 200 pounds of plates, in our basement from when we bought this house in 1995 until last year, when we put an addition on the house that included an office in the basement for me. Between kid toys and the fact the gym would have blocked the doorway to my office, I disassembled the gym. No worries; I hadn't used it that much since we had kids, as weight work always was drudgery to me anyways. I'd much rather do push-ups during commercials.

Anyways, my father was in my basement last year and said, "What are you doing with that gym?" I said I was going to sell it or give it to the Rescue Mission.

He said, "I'll take it." So I brought it to his house and set it up. He started working out on it and pulled a bunch of muscles.

Now recovered, he told me last week he has worked out every day this calendar year on it. I slapped his chest in congratulations, and damn if the old man, who turns 78 this August, has pecs!

I joked with my mother, asking her if Pop -- who is so mellow that he's the anti-PK -- has any zits on his back or is suddenly showing signs of a violent temper due to 'roid rage.

I'm very proud of my old man for this workout regimen. He's been in great shape for his age for the last 30 years and eats like a bird, so I don't have to look very far for inspiration to stay fit.

Take care,
PK

[BasketballJones]

God Bless your Dad those types are inspirational. My Dad went from working in the mill to management and became a mill suit. All I remember hearing was how he needed to get in shape. Well he died at 53 right after our oldest was born and his dad died at 54. So neither I or my boys met their paps. I realized I was turning into them fitness wise and better break the trend (I still dip snuff). Wifey complains about the snuff but never told me I was fat, but my little man did. I'm already ugly so I don't worry about trying to become a model or bodybuilder.

I suffer from arthritis from the injuries which hindered the workouts. Tried everything but it all messed up my stomach. Then this guy told me the cure, an Old Italian lore. It's liquid certo, fruit pectin, the stuff they sell for $2.68 in the grocery store. It's used to harden jelly in canning. Liquid or powder, one teaspoon in a glass of fruit juice. You can spend an enormous amount of money on pectin in the vitamin stores. Pectin is fruit fiber which most don't get in daily diets.

Pectin helps create collagen which is the main protein in our connective tissues: muscles, tendons, bones, ligamments. Collagen has an unusual amino acid composition which produces gelatin when heated (as in exercise, or making jam). Collagen isn't a good dietary supplement alone because it lacks all the other essential amino acids and proteins, but you easily get that from other foods, dairy products, fruits, calcium magnesium pills, fish oils, Vitamin B & C supplemets. But it is not harmful, it's totally organic and no side effects other than it cleans you out. It's the active ingredient in kaopectic. There is also other evidence that it could be a preventive means for gastro-intestinal illnesses like colon cancer.

My doctor told me this was all a myth. I told him I had a Masters Degree in Health Education and produced the research I had done. So if you don't eat enough fruit daily, fruit pectin is the supplement.

[Zlax45]

James E has me mad right now by calling Golf a game instead of a sport. What is he thinking? Golf is a sport just like Hockey.

A Game is somethign like Poker or Chess.

[James_E]

LOL Zlax, I love golf, been playing since I was 11.

It's an age old argument about whether golf is a sport or a game. I was only half kidding when I said it was a game. It does take a huge amount of coordination and reasonable strength to be a great player, but I guess it's just not considered "athletic" in the traditional sense. In general, you don't need to be in good shape to play it well.

[Zlax45]

LOL Zlax, I love golf, been playing since I was 11.

It's an age old argument about whether golf is a sport or a game. I was only half kidding when I said it was a game. It does take a huge amount of coordination and reasonable strength to be a great player, but I guess it's just not considered "athletic" in the traditional sense. In general, you don't need to be in good shape to play it well.

ok..We are cool now...I was captain of the Golf team in high school and played in the State Championship twice...I was a 5 handicap in high school.

[James_E]

LOL Zlax, I love golf, been playing since I was 11.

It's an age old argument about whether golf is a sport or a game. I was only half kidding when I said it was a game. It does take a huge amount of coordination and reasonable strength to be a great player, but I guess it's just not considered "athletic" in the traditional sense. In general, you don't need to be in good shape to play it well.

ok..We are cool now...I was captain of the Golf team in high school and played in the State Championship twice...I was a 5 handicap in high school.

Yeah, back in the day when I was 15-17, I spend upwards of 12 hours per day at the golf course. I'd work for 8 hours (6am - 2pm or 2pm-10pm) and the other time I'd play or practice. Got down to a 6 handicap, and even shot a 69 once (par 72, 6400 yds) Other than that 69 never got below 74.

[TheMightyPuck]

I'll be 44 in May (God willing). I'm a lousy athlete but I'm in ok shape. I'm 6'4 190 can do 12 or so pullups in a row and can run a mile in under 7 minutes if highly motivated. I have a messed up hip from an old basketball injury so I really feel it in my ass the next day when I do any sprinting type sports like playing soccer. I cannot dunk a basketball which really irks me at my height. That's my goal for my 50th birthday. I could stand to gain 10 or 15 pounds of muscle since I'm skinny as a rail. Gotta get on a squat, deadlift and C&J plan

[TheMightyPuck]

www.crossfit.com keeps my ass in shape and my throwing up muscles tested

Its the best program that I have come across to get the results I need to perform effectively.

That website totally rocks.

[eman]

Collectively were in much better shape than I thought.

Where are all the guys that are 50lbs over weight? You'd think spending all this time in front of a computer monitor and playing video games would have negative impact on us.

Maybe cyber sports has a positive effect on us?

[Spooky]

Well, I am 32 years old and in decent shape right now. My weight has gone up and down over the last 10 years. I am around 6’1” and at my heaviest I was around 220 and at my lightest I was at 165. Big swings, I know. Smoking (and not smoking anymore) and stress had a lot to do with that.

Right now I go to the gym here at work almost every day and try to do 30 minutes cardio and then light weights for toning. I am at 205 lbs right now and I am glad to say that it is becoming more muscle than fat.

As far as being athletic goes, I am pretty well rounded. I am very coordinated so that helps. I am also very musically inclined so that adds to the coordination aspect. I grew up playing hockey, football and baseball. Played all of those through 8th grade but only continued with baseball into high school. Then enter music and pot and out go the sports. That was pretty much my story throughout high school and college. I played a lot of recreation games and free formed get-togethers of flag football and softball, but nothing structured.

Last few years I have been playing park district softball and it is fun.

[Feanor]

I'm 28, 161 pounds and in decent shape but I really miss playing organized team sports. Aw well as cricket and basketball, I played rugby at high school (in New Zealand) but after being captain for one game I got sick, missed the rest of the season and never got back into it.

[bkrich83]

Played Baseball, Basketball and Football in HS. 3 yr starter on varsity in football, 4 year starter on varsity in baseball and basketball. Went to college on a football scholarship. Was a pretty good athlete in my prime.

I think my last year of college my test numbers were a 4.55 40, 38" vert. Never did real well at the shuttle or the bench. Max Bench was 11 reps at 225. I am 6'2" and my playing weight was a fairly solid 190-200 lbs. (Since I was naturally rail thin, my weight fluctuated greatly as the season progressed).

Now I Am 35, working lots of hours, only get out to play basketball once a week or so, no longer playing in adult baseball or football passing leagues. I am still 190 lbs, but it's a chubby 190 lbs. My best days as an athlete are behind me.

[DivotMaker]

Been reading this thread now since it started, but have been reluctant til now to reply...

Currently 6'2" and pushing 3 bills. I spend the majority of my weekdays managing my account in West Africa. Managing involves spending the majority of each day responding to emails and working on projects from 2 laptops. I have one from my company and one from my customer. Most days, I feel chained to these laptops, but it is my job and I do get to travel quite a bit more than I used to. However, the job is NO excuse for how poor my physical shape is today.

In my prime (1977-81), I was fortunate enough to accept a full scholarship offer for Track & Field at Texas A&M. I chose A&M over Texas, USC, UCLA, Oregon, etc. because two of my high school buddies went to A&M throwing the shot put and discus the year before and the main reason was Randy Matson, the former World Record holder in the shot put.

My Senior year (1980) was one to remember. I led the NCAA rankings in the discus throw at 206'6" and was second behind Michael Carter in the shotput at 66'2". In the 1980 Southwest Conference Meet, I won both events and it was the only time Michael Carter would ever lose a conference meet. He went on to win a silver medal in the shotput at the 1984 LA Olympics as well as play for the 49ers. In the 1980 NCAA meet, I had prepared for this meet for 4 years. The first event was the shot put qualifying. I was warming up and throwing farther than I had ever thrown. My first warmup throw was over 70 feet which I had never come close to before. My final warmup throw was announced to the crowd around the shot put area so everyone knew it was the final warmup. I came across the ring and let the shot go and to my horror it was heading right for one of the meet officials who normally marks the landing area. Only this time, he was looking down at the ground and covering divots in the landing area with his foot. As soon as I saw where the 16 lb ball was headed, I started screaming at the top of my lungs for him to look up. Luckily he did, but as he did the shot put struck him where the nose and forehead meet. Needless to say, it knocked him out cold and his face was covered in blood. I was escorted away from the area to a place under the stadium. I thought I had killed him because just weeks earlier, another shot putter named Mike Weeks actually killed a spectator at a meet. Luckily the official ended up fine, but did lose his sense of smell and had several operations to rebuild his shattered nose, broken jaws and dislocated teeth. The shot put event was posponed until the next evening. I lost 12 pounds between days and I was simply not the same person I was the day before as I could not sleep that night especially since I saw the accident replayed several times on Ted Koppel's NightLine program. I managed a 6th place in the finals at 62' and did not even qualify for the finals in the discus which I was favored to win. I did however visit the official who was hurt after the meet and gave him my 6th place medal. I did not know what to say or do, but it was all I could think of. I was later called on by The University of Texas to testify on their behalf as the official had sued the University for negligence. Strangely, the court found the University negligent, yet not a single witness to the event felt the same way. I ended the year by placing 7th in the 1980 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon in the discus. I spent the summer of 1980 travelling in Europe with Nike competing in meets and just having fun. Final rankings in Track & Field news that year had me ranked in the top 25 worldwide in the discus and in the top 50 in the shotput. Before attending A&M, I had never dreamed of such a thing. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity and numerous people to thank for their help in helping me achieve such things.

Back on topic....during this time of my life, I was 6'2" 275 lbs and 8% bodyfat. I ran a 4.5 40 yard dash for NFL scouts, benchpressed 522, and had a squat of 832, which at the time would have been a world record. Unfortunately, breaking world records in training don't count. My speed and strength allowed me to have a cup of coffee in the NFL with New Orleans in 1981.

I think the most difficult thing aboiut being a former athlete is working and training at a high level consuming large quantities of food, then when the activity slows down, so does the metabolism which actually slows down MUCH faster than the gradual reduction in intake. I plan to lose 80 pounds this year. I am 47 now. If I don't do it now, every year that goes by it gets more and more difficult. Doing alot of walking these days trying to reverse the low metabolism and with the kind of job I have and the stress, I do believe it is more of a challenge than anything I have ever attempted sports-wise in my life.

[dbdynsty25]

Now lets see if anyone f*cks with Divot...

[CincyKid]

bradley and myself in daytona beach march 2004



me march 2005 at 36 years old