<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar/1518719172253827046?origin\x3dhttp://elderlyspace.blogspot.com', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

My Elderly Space

A look at the remarkable lives of the elderly

 

95-year-old Track Star

Frank Levine ran his first marathon at the age of 65. He’s run seventeen marathons since then. At 95, he still runs 2 miles every other day, and recently competed in the 95-99 category and set a world record at 50 minutes and 10 seconds.

Labels: ,

 
 

73-year-old sidelined from college basketball

Remember Ken Mink, our septuagenarian college hoops player? He has been declared ineligible because of insufficient academic credit. He was having trouble with his Spanish course. "I told coach early on that I was having trouble in Spanish," Mink said.

He then enrolled in sociology, but was apparently too late to have that credited towards his semester. "This is not an academic issue, it's an administrative issue," he later writes. Mink and his coach are appealing the ruling.

Labels:

 
 

Septuagenarian scores in college hoops

On the basketball court, it's not uncommon to hear "trash talking" that include labels like "grandpa". But in Ken Mink's case, he's actually old enough to be a grandpa. It's been 52 years since the 73-year-old has played in a college basketball game, but he's still got a few moves.

He played about 10 minutes, scoring two points on free throws, in Roane State's 93-42 victory over King College's junior varsity Monday night. "I just floated the shots in there. I'm in the books now. I can relax a little bit," he said after the game.

Labels:

 
 

Oldest person on Facebook


At 102 years old, Ivy Bean claims to be the oldest person on Facebook. This has skyrocketed her to celebrity status, she now has over 4800 friends!

Mrs. Bean recently competed in the "Over 75" Olympics, bringing home a gold medal in the frisbee throwing competition. Catch the video of this and more on her facebook group.

Labels:

 
 

104-year-old Cubs fan dissed

A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Leo Hildebrand wants to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field for a game during the Cubs' expected playoff run. The 104-year-old is one of the oldest Cubs fans (and one of the few alive when the Cubs won their last world series in 1908!)

His neighbor and good friend, Henny Kronvold, tried to persuade the Cubs to let Hildebrand pitch last season, but the Cubs politely told her all of the slots were taken. "He can't wait much longer," said Arlene Burm, Hildebrand's 69-year-old daughter.

"Due to the large number of requests and suggestions, and given the limited opportunities, it's difficult to accommodate everyone,'' says Jason Carr, a Cubs spokesman. ''We have so many deserving fans -- including Leo Hildebrand -- but can't get to them all.''

I guess the Cubs just don't know what's good for them.

Labels:

 
 

Lifeguard started swimming after retirement

Ed McCarthy retired, started swimming at 62 and become a lifeguard. Now at 83, he's the world's oldest lifeguard and the chicks really dig him.

“He's hot in a Speedo,” says Lauren Satter, a water exercise instructor who is about half McCarthy's age. “When he walks by … the ladies in my 11 o'clock class look, hoot and holler.”

He hasn't always been athletic. But since his retirement, not only has he picked up swimming, he is now also an active triathlete. His hope is to remain a lifeguard for as long as he can. Considering the previous record holder worked until he was nearly 90, Ed's got a few good years ahead of him still!

Click here for the full story.

Labels:

 
 

Ageism: Centenarian's application refused


Cao Zuozheng, a 103-year-old Beijing woman was one of 21,880 Olympic torchbearer hopefuls. She is petite, has no teeth and walks with a stick. She came up with the idea in 2004 when she had a photo taken of her with a Chinese torchbearer for the Athens Games. She waited three hours in her wheelchair on the roadside to watch the relay in Beijing.

To get physically fit, Cao started exercising in 2004, walking about 300 meters twice a day with a stick. She also insists on washing her hair with cold water, which she believes keeps her healthy.

Unfortuntely, her application to be a torchbearer for this year's Summer Olympics was turned down. Ageism?

The torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame on its journey around the world and through China before the opening of the Beijing games on Aug. 8, 2008

Read more about this remarkable, spunky centenarian here.

Labels:

 
 

Blind WWII vet bowls a perfect game



Bowling a perfect game is a cause for celebration, but especially so for Dale Davis, a blind 78-year-old WWII vet.

“I can’t see the lane or the pins and have a heck of a time finding my ball sometimes,” Davis said “I can kinda see the dots on the floor to know where I start. After that, I rely on my hearing and other people to tell me what’s going on.”

And when he doesn't get a strike, he relies on others to tell him where the remaining pins are standing.

“When I got to the tenth frame, I said ‘Lord, let me throw three more good balls.’ When I did, people on other teams were yelling and cheering. A few guys were hugging me and almost broke my skinny bones.”

Dale is a great example for the rest of us, proving that you're never too old to set goals for yourself.

“I always knew I wanted to have a 300, but I never thought it would be possible, especially as I got older and couldn’t see. Bowling rejuvenated me. I’ve got a love for this game I can’t even describe. Hopefully I’ll do this again when I’m 90.”



You can find the full story and more pictures here.

Labels:

 
 

Archives