COLUMN: The Olympics for older athletes

Editor’s note: This column was written last week.

I am a Baby Boomer. There, I said it, and I’m not ashamed of it. I was born right smack in the middle of the boom. We Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. I landed here in 1955. Yes, I am old, but not too old; well, at least not yet.

I have loved sports for just about as long as I can remember. I have enjoyed watching them, and I have enjoyed playing them. At this age and stage in life, I do more watching than participating, but I do still get in the game occasionally. I am not quite as quick as I once was, but I am still alive and move and have my being (Acts 17:28). For this, I give thanks. I am definitely looking forward to this week’s Olympics and give thanks that I will be able to do one of things I love to do.

When I was growing up, I used to watch the Olympics and dream of being one of the athletes. I’ve done some of the same things some of them do, but never anywhere near their level or with the skill with which they do it. I learned to snow ski and loved doing that for many years. I have watched with amazement as the ski jumpers sped down a ramp and flew off its end like a bird soaring through the air. A few years ago, out in Utah, when I saw those ramps up close and personal, I said, “I would never have the courage, or the ability, to go off that thing!” I have settled for doing what I can do, and enjoying that to its fullest.

I have loved racket and paddle sports for most of my life. I have loved playing ping-pong, tennis, racquetball and pickleball. I played racquetball until my joints said, “Hey, enough already!” Then I discovered a sport that is a little slower paced and a little more forgiving to one that has a few extra miles on the body. Then, after all these years, two years ago I finally got my chance to compete in the Olympics. Well, not actually “the” Olympics, but in “the” Senior Adult Olympics. I played pickleball and actually walked away with a silver medal. I’m still not sure who it belonged to!  No, really, we won it. I played in Men’s Doubles, 3.0, 125-years old and above. No, that age was not a typo, but a poor attempt at humor!

Then, the unthinkable happened. I had four heart artery bypasses, and I feared that my playing days might be over. When the Senior Olympics rolled back around the next year, I had not recovered enough to play in them. I watched my friends play and dreamed of one day once again playing in the Olympics…senior style, that is.  Little by little, I grew stronger and could play longer and longer. Now, guess what. This week, I will be playing in the Alabama Senior Olympics again. I hope to win another medal, but even if I don’t win a single game, it will be a victory!

Thank you, first of all, to my Lord and Savior for the healing He has given me! Thank you to the Opelika Pickleball Club for allowing me to play with such a great group of players and friends. Thank you to the club leaders for putting this tournament together, as well as many other tournaments and mixers, and for all the hard work in hosting this event. Thank you to the city of Opelika for a state-of-the-art pickleball facility and Sportsplex.

Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com or 334-728-5514 (office).