The Blog

All done & dusted, packed away & pushed to the back of the top shelf. The medal I won is hanging off a curtain rail in the studio, alongside other historic, useless but precious items, like the binoculars my father gave me when I was nine. The World Masters Games (WMG) was all about endurance. Well, it can't by definition really be about world beating performances, can it? But it was also so much more than that. It was a community, a gathering of like-minded people bent on giving their best but also encouraging others to do so as well. It was fun - how many international sports competitions can that be said about! It was a reunion, a celebration, a sharing of aspirations, skills, knowledge. It was strange yet inspiring, basking in this collegiate atmosphere amongst octogenarians. And from the mouths of many, it was by far the best Games ever!

Congratulations, Auckland!

Before the World Masters Games came to Auckland, I had never really heard about them, why? Well, possibly because I had moved away from any form of competitive sports many decades ago, so without being spoon fed the information, it was not going to appear on my radar. Possibly also because I wasn't old enough? I do find that recently, even before WMG2017 came along, I have been paying more attention to the issues of getting older in our society. Because I am! Historically until quite recently, certain activities in our society have been deemed suitable for youth & others for statesmen. There, that word gives it all away, Statesmen. Political & Social leaders can be old. Not so old they can't appear vigorous, but old enough to have absorbed the wisdom of the years. Athletic prowess; well, that's the domain of our youth… Now, we are seeing more young people entering politics, thank goodness, as the wise has to be balanced with the vision, and we are seeing more older people remaining physically active for much, much longer.

I had the privilege of hearing Lisa Tamati deliver an inspirational talk the other week. One of the perks of the job. I get hired to photograph an event, then I can listen to the speakers. They aren't always interesting, but she certainly was. There is a world outside our comfortable bubble, a world that is harsh & unrelenting, where absolute extremes can tear you apart physically & exhaust you mentally. And neither age nor sex are any boundary. She ran La Ultra - the High Race, a 222Km gruelling race over two of the highest passes in the world (in the Himalayas), just to try & be the first woman to complete it. She was over 40 and she finished - second - beaten by a 55 year-old woman. Her list of extreme accomplishments is humbling - see lisatamati.co.nz - and she is living proof that we can accomplish far more than we believe, and age is no barrier.

I photographed mainly badminton play (as this was my sport & I highly recommend you go along to Badminton North Harbour & give it a go!), with some swimming & the opening ceremony during the WMG. You can see all the images in this gallery. (It's quite large, apologies, because when I tried to break it down it became even more unwieldy!) Please just browse through & request any image you want for your own personal use. (If you want any for commercial use, you know what you have to do!) Ideally let me know using the gallery's selection tools & I'll send you the unwatermarked image file, free of charge. All I ask in return is that if you share them anywhere you credit RiK of RiKmedia.nz…

I intend never to retire. Never to stop playing sport. Never to behave as if I'm older than 30. Never to give in to my body complaining that it wants to stop & rest. Never to gracefully fade into the background… This is what the World Masters Games means. This, plus a community that supports each other even in competition.

World Masters Games 2017

Auckland - March 2017

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images by RiK

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It is easy when faced with a 101 year-old athlete to forget that her son, who has been competing for many years will be 80 next year, and is still training hard & winning medals. But I'm afraid impressive as that is, and it surely deserves a blog of its own, it is eclipsed by this unassuming, sharp, active & fit 'old lady'. I use that term with respect because it is probably the only time it can be used politely and meaningfully. Over a century is definitely old, and to be running round a sprinting track? Disgracefully wonderful. She has set the bar so high none of us can ever hope to reach it. This lady only started running at the modest age of 93 & is now the world record holder in a number of events.

Her son, Gurdev, normally does translating for her as she is fluent in just her native tongue, but the interview was conducted in Punjabi by Gagan Rayat, a lifestyle & fitness professional keen to pick up any tips he could to pass on to his audience. Gagan runs a FaceBook Group page called Vand Chhako (the third pillar of Sikhism) where lifestyle and fitness tips are shared freely. Check it out on FaceBook now. Man Kaur also set another record while she was in Auckland for the World Masters Games. She became the world's oldest skywalker, stepping out onto the Sky Tower's walking track. She credits her good health to excellent nutrition and regular exercise and I have no doubt that is true, but she sparkles with something indefinable - I can only describe it as a joy for life - that affects all around her. It isn't just her body that is strong, it's her spirit as well. How else would she be able to compete in the way she is when she has severe osteoporosis of the spine? The doctors are baffled, but she just keeps on living life to the fullest.

She captured the hearts of everyone she encountered here. Inspiration is such an inadequate word for someone who has achieved what she has, and is not finished by a long straight yet! In my own experience, her son is of an age where he should have been 'taking it easy' in our normal western parlance for a number of years, but they are both living proof that this approach simply leads to deterioration. 'Use it or lose' is the appropriate phrase here. Abolish 'retirement' and all such age-defining barriers and simply keep on striving. You too could be setting records well into advanced years. Having recently been on a 100-day diet-redefining exercise, I am more than normally open to the ideas of simple natural nutrition, but this pair's healthy lifestyle is impossible to refute. It takes effort & focus, but we can all lead much longer, healthier lives if we simply paid attention to what our bodies really need, and don't need.

A great deal has been written about Man Kaur - just Google her - and she added to the story here in Auckland by breaking world records and collecting 4 more Gold medals. It was an honour for me to meet her and her son. I hope you enjoy the interview we recorded (sub-titled - thank you Gagan - for those not fluent in Punjabi) & below you'll also find some of the images I shot in the short time we were together.