Risk vs reward... learning and progression at 40

[Benicia Wind]

40 ! I wish I took this up when I was only 40. Now at 60 and still going. Sessions tend to be a little shorter and I wish my knees where in better shape.

[tautologies]

how many other family members will suffer the consequences

This is kind of key. I do not think age defines everything, but at a certain point you do not bounce back as well. I spent a loooong time in bed nursing an injury (snapped achilles) and it impacted my wife a lot. I went back to kiting about 5 months after injury which was a good 7 months before the doctors okayed it...it wasn't too smart My wife told me if I re-rupture I would be on my own. I am now 14 months in and not even close to full restitution.

Anything with very high speeds and looping I would say has a lot more risk to it. High jumps with mega loops. For me my shoulders are fubared so no handle pass stuff at all...its just not worth the rehab.
I focus on tricks and riding that I find fun, stylish and smooth and that does not have a huge downside in terms of risk for long term injury. I do not mind looping, but they are generally not very powered. Just a bit. Unless I f*** up.
Personally I do not want a c-kite..and especially with boots. Last time I used boots and c-kite I ended up with a long term neck injury...it was a simple loop and rotation, but my board caught an edge. The power in loops are just so much more that I decided that was it for me and c-kites (and boots).

[bmcfiv]

unreal responses, thank you everyone. trying to summarize takeaways...

[FLandOBX]

IMHO, the reason older kiters get injured more frequently than younger kiters is that the vast majority of people don't maintain their fitness and health through the years. That's also the reason most pro kiters are younger, by the way. By the time most people are in their 30's and 40's, they've let their bodies go to crap. They start to feel old and begin to believe that age and their aging bodies are a limitation.

For those lucky few who recognize (early on) the importance of a lifetime of consistent fitness, and who maintain a belief system that opens the door to the possibilities that others find impossible, age is really not a limitation. Especially in kiting. I'd agree that age is a limitation in certain other sports (e.g., sprinting). But the nature of kiting allows older athletes (who are fit and believe they can) to compete on an equal footing with younger kiters.

Most people don't have the self-discipline and/or desire to maintain their health and fitness for a lifetime, and even fewer are able to overcome the paradigm of age as a limitation in physical activities. But some do, and they excel not only in kiting but also in many other sports: e.g., Dimitri (doing pretty well at age 48), Tom Brady (NFL, age 40), Satchel Page (joined his first major league baseball team at 42, pitched his last game at age 59), Gordy Howe (National Hockey League all-star twice after turning 42, played in the NHL until age 52, and even joined an IHL team (Detroit Vipers) at age 69). IMHO, it's all about (1) consistent fitness and (2) belief.

[downunder]

^
Dimitry did not start at his 40ties.

And, I do not see any athletes on my local in their 40ties. Or 50, 60. There are no athletes, young or old. Only recreational kiters, who sometimes crash and break bones.

the collar bone healing takes 5-6weeks for a 45yo and heaps less for a teenager.


What has fitness to do with a collar bone is unknown to me. 7 years kiting, 48yo, now doing front roll transitions, 720 rotations with a grab, pb 8m flat water in 25 kn. Hooked only.

3 times broken collar bone, one time with kiting, displaced 2.5cm now. Loooong recovery...

[longwhitecloud]

Make wise decisions for yourself.

Statistics says that if you do something 10 000 times you might fu** up badly once.. not much you can do about that other than not ride.

But your bones and ligaments get weaker as you get older.. purely mechanical.

The kids I grew up with skateboarding, the craziest ones.. handrails, big steps etc have problems now! The kiters that loved kiteloops and landed so hard.. they are ruined.

You make your choices.

I never thought I would say this but I wish I had held back a bit more, although considering how much I ride it may have been down to stats... I had a plan to transition to surfboard freestyle but it backfired and I snapped my ankle and the ligaments doing it.. , taken so long to get better.. I can kite now.. just! I also broke my back in 2 places before that doing one of my other silly sports. A very bad year. Thankfully surfing keeps me motivated now.

Finally ignore instagram feeds from Kelly Slater, Tony hawk,.... Demitri?!.. any old rider seemingly superhuman.. they are all fu**Ed too, just like me!

Can't stop tho...

[knotwindy]

I’m sorry to tell you but there is a huge difference between getting old and breaking down. Until you can see the difference you will suffer. Again, sorry to burst any bubbles.

[DWX]

IMHO, the reason older kiters get injured more frequently than younger kiters is that the vast majority of people don't maintain their fitness and health through the years. That's also the reason most pro kiters are younger, by the way. By the time most people are in their 30's and 40's, they've let their bodies go to crap. They start to feel old and begin to believe that age and their aging bodies are a limitation.

For those lucky few who recognize (early on) the importance of a lifetime of consistent fitness, and who maintain a belief system that opens the door to the possibilities that others find impossible, age is really not a limitation. Especially in kiting. I'd agree that age is a limitation in certain other sports (e.g., sprinting). But the nature of kiting allows older athletes (who are fit and believe they can) to compete on an equal footing with younger kiters.

Most people don't have the self-discipline and/or desire to maintain their health and fitness for a lifetime, and even fewer are able to overcome the paradigm of age as a limitation in physical activities. But some do, and they excel not only in kiting but also in many other sports: e.g., Dimitri (doing pretty well at age 48), Tom Brady (NFL, age 40), Satchel Page (joined his first major league baseball team at 42, pitched his last game at age 59), Gordy Howe (National Hockey League all-star twice after turning 42, played in the NHL until age 52, and even joined an IHL team (Detroit Vipers) at age 69). IMHO, it's all about (1) consistent fitness and (2) belief.

I not only agree with you wholeheartedly, it appears medical science has confirmed it. There are medical tests that measure the effective age of your organs and yes, you can be certified well under your actual age, provided you’ve taken good care of your body. It’s also psycho-somatic, so your thoughts & emotional well-being are huge factors.

Yes, age is just a number, & that’s medically confirmed!

I’m actually glad I didn’t start kiting, surfing, longboarding at 16. I was so chronically & suicidally moody & crazy at 16, there is no way I would have survived my 20s on a board! Be glad you were mature enough when you felt the pull of the wind & the blue wild for the first time. It takes a stable, mature psyche to stay on top of our sport.

So if you wanna do a handlepass at 40, go for it! There is a way to learn more demanding tricks without getting injured. Trial and error doesn’t mean certain injury, just know what you are doing & have a safe plan B for every crash. But in the end, your body, your call!

[BWD]

Started in 30s now in 40s.
Rode overpowered and c kites until a couple years back, now mainly ride surfboards and foil mainly with strutless kites.
Hurt myself all the time back in the day, partly because of learning curve, mainly because of hard core powered twintip style.
Don't hurt myself so much now, and ride in waves and higher winds than I would then, so it's still exciting, just a little lower impact (when
you don't wipe out).
Fitness has been pretty even and good until this year, my gym has been closed some and a few health issues happen...
But I expect to be back in shape in a month or 2, and charging in the spring...
Main thing is stay in shape between sessions if you are a weekend rider, and don't ride overpowered all the time or get into anything you aren't ready for.
Sometimes i ride with guys in 20s 30s 40s 60s... all fun.

[junebug]

All of the people claiming that age is in the mind just haven't had their bodies break down yet. For the lucky ones, this occurs late in life. For the less fortunate, it happens early. But it will happen to all of us who don't die early.

I'm 44 years old, I eat heathy, I exercise for 45 minutes or so 5 days a week, and I am slim and fit (6'3"/185 lbs). None of that changes the fact that I have arthritis in the bones of the lumbar region of my spine, bulging disks exacerbated by the arthritis, and muscle weakness because the disks rest on nerves. Staying fit helps, for sure, but I will never again be able to do things I could do in my 20s and 30s. And I don't even have it that bad--at least I can still kiteboard, although for shorter, less aggressive sessions than when I was younger. (Thank God for foiling!)

It may be true that you are only as old as you feel, but the condition of your body determines how you feel. If you are over 40 and haven't realized that yet, count your blessings.