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| 3 min read | by Doug Marrin, dmarrin@thesuntimesnews.com |

Bob Dylan could have very well been describing Dexter Township resident Howard Booth when he wrote may you stay forever young. And now in his 70s, Howard is still competing and collecting the medals and trophies to prove it.

I had a chance to sit down with him and hear a little more about his astounding athleticism at his age. My first question for him was, How is this even possible at age 76?

By basically staying fit, he says. I was a high schoolathlete who played all four sports in Mio, Michigan. There were a lot ofopportunities to play sports and enjoy them. Growing up, there just wasnt alot of fun stuff to do in town other than sports. There wasnt a lot going on.

Howard has lived an active life regularly competing in one way or another in various sports. This year at age 76, he went to Torun, Poland and won the World Masters Championship for indoor pole vault thus remaining the ranking world champion in his age group. He also set an American record in the short hurdles becoming world champion in that event as well. He also runs the 100-meter dash and 400-meter relay for Team USA.

World Masters Athletics (WMA) is the organization behind worldwide track and field, cross country, and road running events for people 35 years of age and older. Along with sanctioning worldwide events, WMA outlines the rule modifications for different age levels. Separate worldwide championships are held for indoor events and outdoor events.

As a kid playing pick up games with friends in sandlot baseball and basketball, Howard moved on to varsity sports in high school and then on to collegiate sports at Eastern Michigan University.

Surprisingly, in spite of his athletic prowess, Howard went to college on an academic scholarship. His father felt his diminutive size at 5 6 tall and 130 pounds would only get him hurt playing against bigger players. Howard found other ways to keep moving and stay active. He caught the eye of coaches anyway and was recruited for the gymnastics team, the track team, and cheerleading. And then after graduation, he settled into road running for the next 30 years just for health. He did many 5K, 10K, and half-marathon events like the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run.

My brother talked me into doing the Pikes Peak Ascent, which is the half marathon from the bottom of Pikes Peak up to the top, said Howard. So you go a mile-and-a-half vertical while youre going 13.1 miles horizontal. Its a really challenging race.

So, after a lifetime of staying in one sport or another, as a 60-year-old, friends suggested I try the Senior Olympics, Howard explains. I looked up what they were jumping with a pole vault. I went out into my backyard and cut a maple sapling which I had done back in my high school days. I took some jumps and figured Okay, I can I can still do this.

At Howards first outing at the Michigan Senior Olympics, he set a Michigan age group record for the 60-65 age group. From there his athletic ability spread out into running and long-jump events.

Fast forward 15 years and at the 2019 Michigan Senior Olympics, Howard won five gold medals and set five records in pole vault, long jump, 60-meter sprint, 60-meter hurdles, and the 300-meter dash. He scored a plethora of other medals and records at other events as well.

It is no surprise that this past summer Howard was selectedas one of the three inductees into the Michigan Senior Olympics Hall of Fame.It is quite an elite club with only 19 members before this years ceremony.

But back to my original question: How is this possible for a person of Howards age?

You ask how a 76-year-old is still pole-vaulting within inches of the world record on a really good day? Howard laughs. A big part of it is consciously working at it but also never having let it go. I didnt do the typical American thing which was after college get totally immersed in my job and gain 30 pounds. Athletics was a big part of my life in high school and college and I brought that along with me. Life was hectic. We had a young baby. I was finishing my Ph.D. but I still found time to get out for a half-hour to an hour run of some kind.

Before retiring, Howard was a Professor of Physiology atEastern Michigan University. I asked him if his profession gave him any specialinsight into how the body operates and ages.

Absolutely, he replies. We are doing an awful lot ofmental activity when the brain coordinates with the muscles. Were onlyconscious of little snippets of it. You might just be thinking about jumping upand flipping the ball into the net while avoiding the hand of the defender, butthere are millions of synaptic connections that make all that happen.

We should have a great appreciation that our body needs to be out there doing things and moving, he stresses. Its very good for us. As a society, we reward our brainpower but your body needs physical activity and the more you do it the more you keep it.

To the younger generations he offers this advice: Theresabsolutely a huge quality of life thing associated with what Lu and I aredoing. Were very active. We feel good. So much of our society is digital andelectronics, mental exercise, but youve got to find a place in all that foryour physical body and it will reward you back.

Howard admits hes got a list of old man problems such asosteoarthritis, but he works around them. However bad your physical problemsare, physical fitness makes it better, he says.

If youve let yourself go, no matter your age, Howard says, You can always turn it around. You may not become a senior Olympian, but you can always start exercising. Use the old guidelines of aerobic things like walking, walking more, and then walking faster. There is a lot of good value in just walking down the country road thinking about the trees and birds, maybe with your dog along, and not about work or all the things that need to be done at home.

Youre always going to have aches and pains, either fromworking out a little too hard yesterday or because youre old, tired, and yourbody is falling apart, says Howard.

Howard does not claim that staying fit and active can fix or prevent everything. But it does make a lot of things better, he says.

Read more about Howards senior athletic achievements at Local Athlete Earns Silver Medal, Four Top 10 Finishes in World Masters Athletics Championships and Dexter Townships Booth gets redemption, wins gold at World Masters Athletics.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos courtesy of Howard Booth.

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At 76, Dexter Township senior remains a competitive athlete | his secrets for longevity and health - thesuntimesnews.com

This entry was posted on December 27, 2019 at 10:45 am and is filed under Longevity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |