Lecture 6: Masters Athletics Flashcards
What is a Master’s Athlete (MA)? How do they differ from an Adult Exerciser?
- 35+ yrs (depending on the sport).
- Participate in organized, competitive sport.
- Formal registration.
- “Prepare to participate”. Train to compete mentality.
- Tight age bracket (5yrs)
Adult Exerciser:
- Physically active adults who are not registered in a competitive organization.
What is special about MA’s/what can they tell us about age-related processes?
- They defeat societal trends in participation.
- They show retention of performance with advancing age.
- They are able to have motivation to invest extensively/continuously in an achievement domain across time.
How do MA’s defeat societal trends in participation? What does the research show?
- As people get older through the successive life stages, their sport participation decreases.
- in MA’s their sport participation is the LARGEST in the 45-49 age category, and is integrated through 50-64.
How do MA’s show retention of performance with advancing age. What does the research show us?
- Research shows that as one ages, their peak performance DEC’s.
- With MA’s, that DEC is still visible, but less steep, and the accelerated decline later in life is PUSHED BACK further than non-MA’s.
- When looking at the individualized training effects in MA’s can see that there training has a linear DEC, as opposed to without training effects where there is instead a exponential DEC. Show’s a greater retention.
- When looking at running performance, it was found that training was much more powerful at explaining variables as opposed to age. Training therefore allows for more retention and performance skills.
How do MA’s have motivation to invest extensively/continuously in an achievement domain across time? What does the research show?
- Research shows that MA’s have the ability to continuously train and sink time into their sport over the course of life.
- Year round habit of training, most do 8 months per year, some do all 12 months.
- Most common pattern is 10 months heavy, 2 months light.
- Research shows that High Competitive Specializers will go to many meets and train double the amount of hours compared to someone who is a Low Competitive Specializer, who does less meets, practices, and training.
What are the World Masters Games?
- Open event that doesn’t need a qualification.
- Anyone can participate.
- Organized according to skill level.
What was determined when looking at if MA’s are exemplars of successful aging?
It was concluded that MA’s do indeed represent models of SA:
- Absence of D&D.
- High physical performance function protects cognitive function.
- Active engagement in productive and social pursuits.
