The Shifting Demographics of Our Sport

by William J. Given

Our sport is not one which has been blessed with a great many young competitors, at least after these young peo- ple age out of Junior Showmanship. This is in great part due to the fact that after aging out and graduating high school, so many of our young people go off to college to further their education. And, then they must get a job, and it takes some time getting established in that job. A new young family also often causes a delay in their return to the ring. However, we are very fortunate that many people do return to the sport, and often these people bring their children with them.

In the past, the vast majority of competitors have been middle- aged, but the demo- graphics are changing, rapidly and signifi- cantly. There exists an ever-growing number of seniors exhibiting in conformation, and competing in compan- ion as well as per- formance events. And, the increase in sen- iors seeking an outlet for their competitive spirit is not unique to our sport.

In most sports, peaking in one’s 50s or 60s is quite uncommon. This is because in most sports years between 35 and 40 are often considered a turning point for its athletes. One’s competitive skills begin to diminish more quickly with time as age brings changes in muscular strength and susceptibility to injury. Endurance tends to peak around age 35 and then slowly de- creases until around age 60, at which point the decline becomes much steeper. And unsurprisingly, it holds true across generations that older adults as a group tend to be less active than younger people. Nearly one-third of Americans over the age of 65 consider themselves to be physically active. This is com- pared to about 80 percent of the general population. Approxi- mately half of the one-third report that they are more active post-retirement than when they were younger.

Today, we find many seniors working hard to gain and hold on to, and even increasing their athleticism. Over the last decade, the growing number of senior citizens that have begun competing in marathons and triathlons are causing experts to question much of the conventional wisdom about age-related changes in physical capabilities and competitive determination. Just 20 years ago, the majority of finishers in marathons and triathlon races were under the age of forty. In U.S. marathons, runners over the age of 40 now represent more than 50 percent of male finishers and 40 percent of female finishers, and in some cases they are outperforming much younger competitors. Results of the 2015 New York Marathon show that 26,569 fin- ishers were over the age of forty, which ac- counted for 54% of those individuals completing the race.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=118021

Posted by Alex on Jan 20 2017. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.