“I’m too old to play or to learn a new game”

If you’re reading this article then I can be fairly safe in the assumption that you are over the age of consent so I’ll say it straight out – Bullshit!!

I started playing Touch at 39 and 7 years later feel like I still have one heck of a lot left to give and even more to learn. Here I want to outline 3 stories that I know a little about and have used poetic license to pad out, I believe the gist of the stories are true and their meaning certainly is.

1, The Marley Park Tipsters

Much like the original founders of FIT, a bunch of ageing rugby players, from a Union background, find that their bodies are taking too long to recover from the physical aspects of full contact matches, but don’t want to stop playing. So they get together for run outs in the park playing Tip twice a week. Discovering that they are not alone in the world they take the bold step of adapting their familiar game by introducing FIT rules and pretty much become the Grandfathers of Touch in Ireland

I’m sure it wasn’t an easy transition and they may well have lost some stalwarts along the way, but they stuck at it and went on to win a Gold medal in the Mens 40s at the Euros in Bristol in 2010, followed up by a pair of Bronze medals in 2012 and 2014. They also formed the spine of the Mens 50s that travelled to the World Cup this year and bagged another Bronze for the collection

The lads are out in the Irish weather twice a week come rain, shine, hail or snow and are only ever stopped by groundsmen when the pitches can’t last as well as they do! I thought I was fairly fit when I started playing with them, but soon learned that I had some adapting to do as I could barely walk the stairs after my second training session. But everyone finds their own level. At 72 Kevin is not going to make many length of the field intercepts or last a full match without subs, but his pace over 3 yards and speed of thought has left me, and many younger people, embarrassed wondering how that score happened

2, Pete Walters

A lot has been documented on this legend of Touch and I’ll admit that I do not know him personally to provide any new insight. What I will say is that at the age of 55 he is still a joy to watch. A veteran of all 8 World Cups, having made his NZ debut in 1986, he is a true ambassador and role model for what can be achieved. I have had the pleasure of watching the videos, streams and seeing him play in person – usually surrounded by younger people wishing to feed off his knowledge and composure. Watching the Mixed Open final this weekend in Orlando was the latest example of his stature. Down to 3 a side in the drop off (where it’s sudden death extra time) he has the knowledge, skill and stamina to create the overlap and had the winger held on to an easy pass he would have been lifting another trophy

The way he took the Irish team aside a couple of years ago to give them a full training session after having handed their asses to them on the pitch shortly before was a true reflection of his dignity and generosity, as well as his love of the game

3, Gra

But don’t think Touch is just about the men. In my opinion it is the best mixed sport where all people get to play on an even playing field (although it would be nice to have a field like that here in Jamaica!). Anyone involved in Touch in Ireland, and I’m sure most in Europe, will have come across ‘Our Gra’ at some stage or another and you can not help but be infected by her enthusiasm, even when she is bossing you about! in spite of losing an arm in an accident some years ago she still togs out and trains with us nearly every week and is always there to keep us organised and topped up with Gummi Bears and Jaffa Cakes at Tournaments

Thanks to the Delgado twins i will never forget the minutes silence for Grainne’s mother before our match in the Euros, undoubtedly the most emotional moment in Sport I have ever experienced.

 

So when I hear people say they are too old I try to simply scoff and ignore it, but can’t help feeling that their ignorance is making them miss out. There are countless quotes from other like minded thinkers that I could use to back this up but I guess my favourite one is already quoted on this site and is also the motto of MPT:

You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing