That’s Fred in the center of the photo, Number 8, leaning into the first turn of his motocross race, just seconds after a thunderous start and sprint out of the starting gate. Fumes and dirt flying. Combined engines like a jet taking off.
A younger man’s game, right? No. Fred is my age–and he’s still a beast on a motocross bike. He came in second in his class on a hot day at the legendary Unadilla track.
How can he still do this? Why does he still do this? Passion, baby. It all comes down to passion for doing things you love and never giving them up until you have to crawl or get dragged off the track — or court, or field, or rink, or course, or wherever you play.
I’m a bit of a repetitive bore because I keep telling people: If you love a sport, keep playing for as long as you can, because once you’re done, you’re done, there’s no going back.
Keeping up with those passions is a way to defy the inevitable decline. Or experience a sublime moment on a winter’s night when the memory of youth glows in you.
But it’s not just sport, it’s doing anything you love. Reach for your passion, turn to it, whenever you’re in need. If you have to give up doing one thing, replace it with another. It will be good for you. And soon it will be over.
