How do you take care of yourself physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally?
Just before I turned 60 I began high jumping again.
I had not taken a single jump since my last Wabash track meet 38 years earlier. I was shocked to find my jumps were about 1½ feet lower than my best at Wabash (6’ 8”).
To redeem my self-respect I joined a gym, worked out frequently, changed my eating habits, and began competing in Masters track meets year-round.
By the time I retired at age 66, I felt better than I had in the previous 20-plus years.
Just as we needed to train to attain our athletic goals at Wabash, we now need to stay “in training” to achieve an even more important goal: living a high-quality life during our most vulnerable period, which we reluctantly call aging.
Masters athletic programs are now quite popular. Last year we
had our first 100-year-old high jumper!
DAVID MONTIETH ’67
Ridgefield, CT
Photos by Kim Johnson
