A couple of days ago I had the delightful privilege of being invited to Shannon Oaks, a beautiful senior’s residence in the heart of Vancouver.
Beth and Murray Brubacher are the managers there, and are wonderful couple. They have been running the place for xx years and do it with such loving care.
They were showing a very special film documentary and asked if I would like to join the residents in the theatre room. I jumped at the chance.
The film is called Age of Champions. And what a film! It is series of wonderful true stories about seniors who just won’t let age get in the way of living and getting the most out of life. These people range in age from 80 to 102, men and women performing feats most of us at 50 would be challenged to do. They are Senior Olympians! And they are magnificent.
No sport is easy after a certain age, but these people inspire! There is the golden tennis player, a women’s basketball team called the Tigerettes, and they truly are tigers on the court. There is the javelin thrower Adolph, Bradford the swimmer and a host of others. These people are as competitive and determined as anyone half their age! They are out to win!
They train and they train and they train. And then they go for the gold — with a huge amount of energy and a whole lot of chutzpah. This film has you laughing one minute and close to tears the next.
After the film was over, Beth held a gathering at the fireplace. After being treated by Shannon Oaks’ fabulous bakers who served up delicious cale chips with humus, lemon yogurt munchies and fabulous granola bars, Beth invited all of us down to the fireplace for a fireside chat about the film.
The first question came. “What did you think of it?” Voices began to ring out from every corner of the room. “Inspiring.” “Amazing attitudes.” “Incredibly driven.” “Total inspiration!” “I’ll be doing a whole lot more days in the gym!” And on it went. That inspired me as much if not more than the film itself. They were pumped!
So if you want a treat to share with your aging parents, or you are of a certain age, prepare to be inspired. I highly recommend you see this film.
You can order it on line at www.ageofchampions.org.
It will give you a whole new spin on the “golden years”! Enjoy.