The ageing process - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

Age is a state of mind. Or so the senior citizens insist. It has nothing to do with one’s ability or inability to perform whatever. If a person sets his mind to doing something, it will be done — somehow.

Age is determination, too. It doesn’t matter how young or old one is. The will to get the job done is such an overpowering force that it defies the passage of time.

In sports, the common thinking is once age catches up to an athlete, the end is near. But wait. Doesn’t life begin at 40? Are athletes the exception to this rule? Not so.

I recently picked up a copy of an inspiring book entitled "When I Was Your Age." It’s a collection of remarkable achievements of famous athletes at every age from one to 100.

You’ve got to be kidding, I thought. Athletic achievements over 40?

I quickly turned the pages to the 40s in a chapter called "Forging Ahead." I was stunned by the facts that screamed out of the book.

Jockey Eddie Arcaro was 40 when he won a record sixth Preakness. James Edwards was 40 when he played for the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96– the season when Michael Jordan led the team to a historic 72-10 record. George Brett was 40 when he hit 31 doubles, lifting him to fifth on the all-time major league baseball list.

There’s more.

Pancho Gonzales was 41 when he beat a 25-year-old opponent in a five-hour 112-game match, the longest ever played at Wimbledon. After undergoing surgery for cancer, golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias–at 42–won US Women’s Open by 12 strokes. Phil Jackson was 44 when he took his first head coaching job in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nolan Ryan was 44 when he pitched his seventh career no-hitter.

Heavyweight George Foreman was 46 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round to become the oldest boxing champion in any weight division. Ben Hogan was 47 when he shot a record 30 on the back nine at the Masters. Phil Niekro was 48 when he pitched his 318th win and posted his 3,342nd strikeout. Bobby Fischer was 49 when he defeated Boris Spassky for over $3 Million.

That’s not at all. I turned to the chapter on the 50s–appropriately called "Second Wind."

Bobby Allison was 50 when he won the Daytona 500. Almost four years after suffering multiple injuries in an accident, jockey Angel Cordero, Jr., 51, returned to set a new track record at Puerto Rico’s El Commandante. Sam Snead was 52 when he won the Greater Greensboro Open to become the oldest parbuster ever to top a Professional Golfers’ Association tournament. Jockey Willie Shoemaker was 55 when he rode in his 40,350th race. Olympic swimming coach Doc Counsilman was 58 when he became the oldest person to negotiate the English Channel. Satchel Paige was 59 when he pitched three scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox and allowed just one hit.

The 60s chapter was called "Becoming Remarkable."

Jack LaLanne was 61 when he swam the Long Beach Harbor, towing 13 boats carrying 76 people. Oscar Swahn was 64 when as a member of the Swedish shooting squad, he became the oldest male Olympian to win a gold medal. John Wooden was 64 when he coached UCLA to a 10th NCAA title and became the only coach with more than four NCAA crowns. LaLanne was back in the water at 65 to tow 65 boats carrying 6,500 pounds of wood pulp across mile-wide Lake Ashinoko at the base of Mount Fuji. Evelyn Culbert was 66 when she bowled a perfect game, the oldest woman ever to accomplish the feat. Bo Morcom was 68 when he cleared a record 11 feet and five inches in the pole vault at the Senior Olympics.

Then there was the 70s in the chapter called "Another Kind of Prime Time."

Actor Paul Newman was 70 when he became the oldest driver to win a pro race, co-driving a Mustang at Daytona. Tom Amberry was 73 when he shot over 2,000 free throws in a row. Badminton player David Field was 73 when he competed at the Senior Olympics — on his honeymoon. James Naismith was 74 when he tossed the ball up for the opening tipoff of the first-ever Olympic basketball game. Henri Soudieres was 74 when he power-lifted a total of 790 pounds. Joe DiMaggio was 79 when in a room at the Louisville Slugger factory, he signed about 1,600 bats and took home close to $2 Million. Asa Long was 79 when he won his sixth US checkers title.

The 80s chapter was "For the Intrepid Only."

Joseph Bruno was 80 when he swam across the Golden Gate strait for the 61st time. Red Barber was 83 when he began his 61st year as a sports broadcaster. John Kelley was 84 when he ran his 61st Boston Marathon. Amos Alonzo Stagg was 85 when he signed a 10-year pact to coach the Susquehanna football varsity. Edwin Townsend was 89 when he parachuted out of a plane to become the oldest man to sky-dive solo.

Finally, in the 90s and beyond, the chapter was called "Heading Toward the Century Mark."

Rose Monda was 90 when she set five Senior Olympic records in track. George Sayler was 91 when he performed a tandem parachute jump over Snohomish, Washington. Harley Potter was 92 when he learned how to play golf. Tom Lane was 93 when he swam backstroke at the California senior competitions. He also threw the discus over 27 feet, the javelin over 26 feet, and the shotput over 10 feet at the same meet. Greek Dimitrion Yordanidis was 98 when he ran a marathon in seven hours and 33 minutes–the oldest ever to complete the long distance race. Otto Bucher was 99 when he scored a hole-in-one on the 12th at La Manga Golf Club in Spain. John Fleck was 99 when he set a record for the 100-meter freestyle at the Senior Olympics. Ichijirou Araya of Japan was 100 when he climbed Mount Fuji. George Bakewell was 100 when he played softball and appeared in a Nike commercial, saying, "It’s gotta be the shoes."

So who said age slows you down?