Never Grow Up....Again?

I’ve written about the age thing before and I often wonder if it's only us simple men folk who have this feeling of not wanting to grow up. Is it more scary for men getting older? Is it a bad thing to want to stay youthful and annoy our spouses with our incessant need for new toys? 

My man shed consists of two things really; Bikes and Boards. Both activities have this intangible ability to keep me feeling young at heart, even though my body is telling me otherwise. A broken ankle, thirty something years ago, a broken wrist, a little closer than that, and a broken foot in 2016, all seem to have this physiological nagging system that worsens with age. That's not including the suspected torn Meniscus Ligament in my knee, the carpal tunnel in both my wrists (injections don’t work) and the pins and needles at night, both tennis and golf elbow, both of which I play neither, and as for the funny gone (gold elbow), there is nothing funny about it when you knock it. A shoulder impingement, a knot in my upper back the size of a golf ball, a dodgy lower back which has just yesterday taken me out of work for a couple of days, and finally if you put a level across my shoulders I’m about two inches out and drop a line down  my spine and I'm out of plum!! 

When I rarely see a Doctor and they ask ‘how can I help’? Now, I might have gone there for a specific reason, but I often feel like getting a list out and saying ‘well Doc, where shall we begin?’. But getting to see a Doctor also panders to the male ethos of ‘not to worry, it’ll be fine, scenario, and pride definately comes before a fall'. 

Like most blokes who refuse to give in to this male pride, we ignore the symptoms as long as possible until one day, no doubt, we’ll inconvenience our beloved spouses and they’ll hopefully be there for us in some futile attempt at empathy. I laugh when I write this, by the way. 

So we just crack on, refusing to give in, ignoring the painfully obvious fact that our bodies are telling us something as we get older. In fact more like a distant screaming at us to slow down. But we can’t. We refuse to just sit back and become part of the arm chair brigade. We’ll just keep taking the vitamins, and applying the ointments for the bones and joints. Continue the  pathetic excuse for stretching while our coffee brews in the morning, whilst arranging the next weekend at the bikepark, or surf trip, or the enduro race, or ridiculous attempt to stay young. We’ll get out on our bikes,  boards, skateboards, snowboards and surfboards and pretend we still rip.  Some of you still do by the way. Surfing is different for me personally because I’ve never imagined I was Kelly Slater, but because I love the old sixties and seventies surfers and the lines they draw on a wave. As a result, my surfing is a simpler, less radical approach than today's rippers, which means I don’t have to do much on my boards which is great for the knees, and the back. Apart from the cutback, rotation plays no part in my surfing, nor does leaving the face of the wave. 

For those of us older folk that are still riding bikes, the e-bike has come to the rescue for many and helped to  realise that life isn’t over after forty or fifty, you can still ride up and shred down. I’ve not given in yet. I’m just not ready,  but also and more to the point I can’t afford one! However, when I see kids in their early teens on an ebike, my soul leaves my body for a brief moment and I have to take a breath and count to ten. 

When family or older friends ask ‘if I’m still riding’? It's a question that always baffles me. The  same with surfing,  ‘are you still surfing’?. I’m not sure what the answer should be. ‘No, I gave that up a long time ago,  I came round to your thinking that it’s just for kids’. I’m not sure what I would do instead to be honest, both pursuits are very much a lifestyle or life choice, whichever way you look at it.  

I’ll always ride bikes as long as my legs work. I might not go jumping or tearing down hills as fast as I can,  but I'll certainly riding some form of bike. Maybe just some more adventure riding on my graveler, or just out in the lanes looking over hedges and taking in the views. I’ll always surf, because I’m a surfer. You don’t just stop surfing or imagining that you are that icon who inspires you to be better. As long as I can walk down to the water's edge, I’ll go surfing, because there are so many water craft to enjoy riding waves. I’m not talking SUP, or Foils (not for me, they don’t count). I’m talking, boogie boards, wooden belly boards, paipos, or handplanes. Hell, you don’t even need a board, just stick your arm out and body surf. 

I love seeing older people still doing the activities they love, whatever it may be, but If it's not obvious by now, I’m very much into the more action sports genre. To see older surfers, skaters, snowboarders, mountain bikers, BMX riders; it’s phenomenal and hugely inspiring. Kelly Slater still competes on the World Tour at fifty, Greg Minaar won a World Championship at Downhill at forty, Tony Hawk is still sending a halfpipe at fifty something and the legendary Tony Alva, well, he’s still skating bowls and he’s over sixty.  When I ride down here at Old Hill Bike Park or the Track at Portreath, there are loads of us Dads who should know better. Still pretending to be teenagers, and some pull it off better than others, most of us refusing to also change our fashion sense that we’ve had since early teens. Shorts, white socks, chequered Vans and a favourite t-shirt, is the go to outfit.  There is a 55+ division in the National BMX series now and it’s one of the largest categories for entries and probably will be at the World Champs this year. Hows that for kids not growing up,considering most of them started back in the early 80’s, they’re still tearing it up on kids bikes, with a smile on their face and the type of camaraderie you’ll never see at a Sunday Football match.  In Mountain Bike enduro events I’m now I think I’m a  Grand Master.  In surfing I believe I’d be a super veteran if I competed. I just love it. The grey haired, physically broken amongst us, still have the mental age of a  kid  who still wants to jump off a crate with a bit of plywood as a ramp, or at least chase that feeling of pulling a trick, learning a new one, or crash trying. . 

I suppose this post is a few words to remind those amongst us who continue to fight for our youth. Maybe it is the simple male that refuses to grow up but who cares. Despite what our own resistance or others tell us,  or our physical scars remind us, don't give in just yet. Maybe it’s time that we remind some of us older folk to get out of the arm chair, go to an exercise class and get back in shape, get back on a bike and go for a lap or two at the local pumptrack, and take your 85 year old Mum down to watch her son loving life, like I did. Don’t say ‘I used to race BMX’, go and do it, join a local club and do a few laps at your own pace, enter a club race and just see what an great community you may have left behind. Dust off and Fix that bike in the garage and go for a ride. Win back that love you had for two wheels when you were a spotty teenager, riding everywhere with your mates. 

For those who stopped surfing when it got too busy. Did you stop surfing because you couldn’t be bothered to compete for  waves anymore? Well, if you still have that love of the ocean, and that nagging feeling of FOMO, get a bodyboard and get hammered in the shorebreak with your kids, believe me it’s hilarious and crowds don’t come near you, because they all got out!!  

​Whatever way you look at it. It’s time to just get busy and never grow up. 




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