I just did a quick little search of the word "athlete" and this is what the Oxford Dictionary spat out at me: "a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise." Well that's nice and broad, now isn't it? As it should be!! Let me expand... (Warning: this might be a long one).
I have recently had the pleasure of working with a number of very talented rowers in a program I have started called "DRIVE." This program runs out of the Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence (my awesome, amazing, oh-so-good workplace) and it's purpose is to introduce rowers of all ages and abilities to strength and conditioning. We lift heavy weights, we build up our core, we encourage mobility and balance. We also encourage a little bit of fun and, of course, the pursuit of excellence.
I began with a program for Juniors. In my 13 years of rowing, I have seen a lot of injuries and have also witnessed many burnouts. In a sport that emphasizes countless kilometers compounded with a go-til-you-drop mentality, it's not completely surprising. My hope was to give young athletes a strong, balanced body that could support their sport, so they could remain in it longer and hopefully remain injury free. In a word, PREVENTION! Why wait unil your rib fractures before you worry about stability? That's what I did, and I don't recommend it.
I still had my head in the Olympic bubble. I was thinking of young athletes who may be National Team bound. I soon realized, however, that there was this whole other niche of athletes who were just as competitive and as much (if not more so!?) in need of strength and conditioning. The masters rowers of Victoria, BC.
I cannot say enough about this group (and I have had several sessions of masters rowers, which I am now grouping into one). They are ultra competitive, they want to be fast, they are dedicated, they work bloody hard and they are simply hungry to improve. Perhaps I see a lot of myself in all of them!?! I think so... Regardless, it is a whole mass of athletes that seem to fly under the radar simply because their goal is not the Olympic Games. Many will compete at National and World Championships, but for a number of reasons (your hypotheses are as good as mine), their progress, challenges and successes are undervalued.
The purpose of this post is to fight back a little. I see no reason why Masters athletes cannot be as valued as every other rower out there. I have been a junior, I have been on the National team, and now I am working with Masters and guess what - we're all the same. We all have heart. The best among us are just the ones who learn patience when it comes to technique, and how to suffer when it comes to training. Medals are medals - what makes a real athlete is the fire in one's eyes. I know you know what I'm talking about...
I have made it a personal mission of mine to help all athletes feel valued. I will do whatever I can for anyone who pursues excellence in athletics. Whether you want to kick butt as a masters downhill cyclist (working with one of those), survive a cross-Cambodia road ride (also one of those) or win multiple world medals at the age of 77 (yep - also one of those), if I can, I will help you make it happen. The more athletes I meet the more I realize that amazing people of all ages come from everywhere, and it isn't a medal or a regatta that defines them. If you've got that fire, if you've got HEART, it really doesn't matter at all where you end up. So cliche but so true..... it's all about the journey and you can start it no matter how old you are.
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