New to the board. I just have a question that I wanted to throw out to y'all. Are there any sports that a guy on the shorter side (I'm 5'9") can excel in later in life?

I participated in numerous sports during my lifetime with varying degrees of success but now that I am growing older (I'm in my late 40s) I find myself wanting to find a sport that I can age with gracefully yet still get a decent physical workout and be competitive. Also interested in participating in the Gay Games and want to begin training.

However, not only do all sports favor young athletes, most of the sports also favor taller athletes. I'm way too competitive to participate just for the personal fun of things. I like to win - even if it is just within my age bracket. So, are there any sports that a shorter, aging athlete can still participate in and be competitive?

Thank you for your thoughts.

- franks

Wrestling comes to mind. Height and weight aren't necessarily advantages. More specifically, you wrestle in weight classes, and from what I know -- which isn't much -- height doesn't seem to affect your ability much, if it does at all. (For the record, I'm 5'9" too.)

Swimming does require favor some body types and physical features, but I don't think that height is necessarily one of them. I would think even less so for diving. Can anybody out there confirm this?

Good luck, Franks.

Of course I have to mention Triathlon
Define "competitive" for yourself and maybe I might have other suggestions

Best,

Drew

Erstegeiger's the triathlon authority, but I should've thought of that myself. None of the sports there advantage people with height.

You could consider Rowing. Height and weight are generally beneficial in it, but they are not insurmountable obstacles. As far as being really competitive, that might not be in the cards but some people seem to be exceptions.

Anyway why it might be a good fit:


First it's low impact and as a result, you can go a really long time in it without the worry of injury.

Second, swimming is low impact too, but the benefit rowing has over swimming is that the technique is simpler (don't get me wrong, it's not like riding a bike or running it's more akin to picking up an acceptable golf swing) but the point is that it can be picked up later in life. There have been people start the sport at age 24 and make it to the Olympics by 26.

There's a large masters following in North American Rowing/Crew and it's well represented at the gay games.


Others to consider would definitely be cycling and if you have winter where you live cross country skiing.

If you like boxing, you can give that a try. I'm quite partial to it!

When you hit 35, you box w/ other guys 35+ in the masters competition. It's pretty cool!

Thank you for the great suggestions!

I was once a rower and a swimmer and loved both. Yet, I do think height is a factor with rowing, especially trying to row in sync with much taller rowers. Although I'd love to hear from shorter rowers on this subject.

I was an excellent swimmer as a kid but my poor eyesight requires me to wear contacts and even a drop of water in my googles throws my game off. (Even Michael Phelps can relate to this one.)

Boxing is an interesting choice. Can one actually learn and be competitive in this sport later in life?

Not much of a runner so running and triathlons are probably not the best sports for me.

Flag football? Never thought that sport would be appropriate for older or smaller guys.

Lots to think about. Keep the suggestions coming. Gay Games will soon be here and I'd like to start getting in shape.

- Franks

Tennis! The sport for life! But I think you would have had to start when you were young to have much competitive success at it....

Franks, I say give swimming a shot. I am under 5'9 (barely) LOL and I swim in Masters meets. I am currently competing in the 40 - 44 age group and have had success at all types of meets, including the OUTgames this year.

Swimming in the Masters division, is great for anyone. However, it does take a lot of training, not just in terms of swimming the mileage, but in terms of perfecting technique. I would start by looking for a masters team in your area, most major cities usually have a Masters team, if not a gay masters team. (www.igla.org)

As for poor eyesight, there are swim shops and online stores that sell prescription googles, so that you would not have to wear contacts in the pool.

Anyways, that is my 2 cents worth. Good luck in finding a sport.

PS...I also compete in water polo, and plenty of my team mates wear contacts while playing.

I joined the local gay volleyball league at age 48 and I'm 5'10". We have 5 Divisions (levels of play) and I made my way to level 3 (5 being lowest) within 6 months. After learning the right technique, it turns out that I'm a pretty good Hitter even though I'm not that tall (I was voted best Hitter in level 4 by the players in that Division before I moved up to 3).

Being a great player in volleyball has a lot to do with knowing where you should be on the court. I took advantage of clinics that were offered that covered all aspects of the game and I put in a lot of hard work on technique and positioning.

I'm playing in my first NAGVA tournament next weekend as a Middle Blocker (a position typically dominated by taller players). I don't know if my skills will continue to improve enough to move up further, but I'm very happy where I'm at now. It's a great team sport and you get to meet lots of people. Love the game!

Volleyball is a good sport, height does come in handy but its a big thing. My partner is 5'9" and is a setter and I am 6'2" and am an outside hitter. We are younger but he have alot of older friends who play. There are alot of volleyball leagues for adults. Its also a very competive sport (we are both very competive).