Realistic Dreams

Does an older Laser sailor really have to let go of dreams that require physical prowess?

Someone once said the way you knew you were an adult was when you had to give up certain dreams as unrealistic. Now, many people give up dreams before it may be necessary, but there is no doubt the athletes have to face the reality of age related limitations. How does this affect Laser sailors?

Even in my dreams, I can no longer see any way that I will be able to make an Olympic team, no matter how hard I practice. In fact my current business obligations constrict my dreams beyond the extremes of loping off being best in the world. I have a hard time finding more than two days and five or six hours total to sail on a good week; not enough to pull myself up into the top tier of regional events.

One of the things that attracted me to Master’s Laser sailing was the possibility of good sailors I could physically keep up with. I may have cut my dreams down a bit, but I can still have some kind of a dream of sport’s glory. I might win a Master’s division or even a national race. It isn’t an unthinkable goal, not very realistic this year, and a real stretch in the next couple, but worth dreaming about.

The tricky part is getting myself down to the gym and investing the time to get myself into shape to make maximum use of the sailing season. Ice-out could be in as little as four to six weeks. We Masters sailors don’t have to give up all our dreams, but we sure need to invest a lot more time to be ready to realize them.

Jay Livingston