Author Topic: Age? Sort of VMX related..  (Read 6999 times)

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TooFastTim

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Age? Sort of VMX related..
« on: March 21, 2011, 09:23:24 pm »
Now we're (mostly) a bunch of guys who've been around the block once or twice, but and maybe it's because I have the big 5-0 looming, it seems that people are much more active now and that "fifty is the new thirty". Thirty years ago when a bloke reached 40-50 he'd hang up his leathers and skid lid and concern himself with officiating. But now we see guys competing well into their 60's. We (many of us) are also faced with the prospect of having to work until we drop thanks to the avaricious bastards in New York or London. People living into their nineties is not unusual.

So, are we getting younger as we get older? Discuss. Extra marks will be awarded for originality and humour.

Offline brent j

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2011, 09:55:02 pm »
Two things come to mind right away

A saying I read somewhere
"We don't stop playing becuase we get old, we get old because we stop playing"

Secondly, when I picked up my XT500 in about 98 I told my sister what I was going to do, She said "aren't you a bit young to be starting your second childhood?"
I told her I haven't finished with the first one yet!

51 years on and proud to be still riding

Brent
The older I get, the faster I was

TooFastTim

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2011, 10:00:24 pm »
Yeah, but why the change of attitude in the last 30 years Brent? Our fathers/parents seemed to be resigned to old age at 50 whereas we're certainly not "going gently into that good night", quite the opposite in fact.

Curly3

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2011, 10:03:27 pm »
I'm with you guy's.
You have to feed the child within or wither on the vine.
Brent, a good year 1960.

TooFastTim

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2011, 10:12:44 pm »
You have to feed the child within or wither on the vine.

Now there's a mixed metaphor if I ever saw one  ;D

Offline Iain Cameron

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2011, 10:29:49 pm »
As a 1960 model I agree ,I can now afford the toys I want . no kids ,no wife,  18 bikes thats life !!!!
Yamaha tragic ; dt1, rt1, dt2, rt2, dt2mx , rt2mx , mx250, mx360,sc500, 74dt125, yzx125, yzc250, yzc400, yzd250, yzd400, yzh250, yzh80 , dt100 , xr75 ko xr80 03 , it175 82 . Not a member of any club

Offline Nathan S

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2011, 10:57:00 pm »
Speaking as a relative youngster, these are my observations:

1. Better protective gear reduces the chances of a 'career' ending injury before you get old.
2. People having kids later means they only have time to return to the fun stuff later.
3. People are actively encouraged to stay active.
4. The Boomer mentality says "why should I stop riding?" rather than conforming to an expectation.
5. Better protective gear increases confidence levels, so the fear of being hurt is reduced.





The good thing about telling the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said.

Offline brent j

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2011, 11:26:31 pm »
I don't have kids but I do have an understanding wife.

Nathan I agree most with your No 4 point. When I tried to race in the 70's I felt pressure to do well, mostly self imposed. Now I only feel pressure to enjoy myself. I figure I have the perfect excuse for not winning. Even my bike is older than most of my competitors.
As much as I like to ride I also enjoy tinkering with my bikes.

And I do pretty well pad up these days. The 70's was a pair of SIDI's (if you were really lucky) jeans, a rugby jersey, gloves with those rubber ribs on the back and a helmet. An injury was usually a few days or a week off work.

Now I've got mortgages (ok self imposed) so the emphasis shifts to self preservation with padding and armor to meet an ever hardening ground. I enjoy finding someone my speed to race with and the banter in the pits afterwards adds to the enjoyment of the day.

Toofast, I find there are two distinct attitudes of people our age. Ours, go out there and do it because we enjoy it. Then there's the excuses as to why they can't, don't, won't!

I've had young guys at race meetings ask me about the old days of MX and why I still ride. I've had a lot of those same guys say they wish their fathers had a simillar attitude to us.

I have two inspirations to not stop. First is my dad, 78 years and still fit and active and,

In an early issue of VMX magazine there is a photo of a guy standing with his bike at the "Old Thumpers" meeting in NZ.
The caption reads to the effect of "84 year old Syd Harrison has owned and raced his TM250 since 1973" I believe he is dead now but that's inspiration!!!
The older I get, the faster I was

Offline GMC

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2011, 11:49:58 pm »
Personally I refuse to grow up. Still looking for adventure.
My head still says to do things although my wallet and fitness level say other wise.
Riding a Vinduro yesterday I felt like I still had good pace although I couldn’t keep it up for long due to my current lack of fitness.
I’m sort of surprised how I can still push it despite being on the wrong side of 50, my old man never did anything remotely like this at this age.

Protective gear?
My body armor started cracking and falling apart years ago so I threw it out, haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet.
You don’t need it if you don’t fall off ::)
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Offline VMX247

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2011, 12:01:01 am »
Personally I refuse to grow up. Still looking for adventure.

With like minded people of the same age !!
Isn't it a lifestyle --geez reads like a HD owner  :-X
I reckon we do its cause we have "choices" now and just cause we "can"   :P
cheers A
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DR

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2011, 01:20:25 am »
except for the fact I don't ride as much I'm still doing much the same things as I was doing in my 20's, playing with bikes ;) only difference is my bikes that were once relatively new are now vintage and I don't ride near as much as I'd like to ;) I don't feel much different but when I look in the mirror I now see some old bloke looking back at me. Scary stuff!! lol Time buys money but no amount of money can buy time so live it up while you can :)

Offline brent j

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2011, 10:34:18 am »
One of Docs comments on this has given me some food for thought.

In my mind I still think much the same way I did when I was younger, much younger. Some parts have grown up luckily, in terms of responsibility and the need to work to food, house and look after my self and my wife.

As Doc says, when I look in the mirror the old guy looking back is not the person looking in. I’m walking around today on sore shaky legs from the weekend MX but these legs really aren’t mine, not in my mind anyway.

I watched some friends a few years ago when they had a child. Funnily enough when I looked at them I didn’t see grown up people, I saw kids acting like grown ups. I still see these friends and the guy is a real armchair footy critic. He played back in his teens with me (talking Union here) he was no better than me but now will give a rundown on the faults of every player on the field ( in any code) from the comfort of his recliner chair. I constantly hear that is it wasn’t for his ankle and knee injury (and about 40 extra kg!) he’d still be playing 1st grade footy (he never played 1st grade at his best!). Most of us have injuries too but we see them as inconveniences not excuses.

I’m 51 “officially” because that’s how long I’ve been here, that’s the label that identifies me in society. This brings to mind a saying I read somewhere

“I reject your reality and substitute my own”

I’ll accept society’s reality when they put me in a box and feed me to the worms!
The older I get, the faster I was

Offline worms

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2011, 10:42:27 am »
no pun intended I hope! ;D

Worms

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2011, 10:45:02 am »
Written by Dylan Thomas in the early 20th century....

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

PS written in a time when gay meant cheerful!!
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Offline number8

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Re: Age? Sort of VMX related..
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2011, 10:47:25 am »
This is interesting you know when we were all younger and there were situations were you mite say "some old guy" you know what, now were all that "some old guy" it seems like as you get older you get more irrelevant and to a degree invisible you become,

The bikes and everything around them are a comfortable "place to be" while all this is happening(getting older),it sure helps to keep the body moving,and it puts you in an environment that is familiar and enjoyable,

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