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ATHLETE PROFILE: Harold McAfee Age:
78 |
A Lifetime of
Physical Activity
By Cheryl Elton
You may have seen him on a Saturday morning at West Mountain. With his goggles and hat on he looks like a teenager. In fact, one day while riding on the chairlift, a young person (age 18 or 19) asked him to race down the mountain. Harold McAfee replied, "Son, you made my day by asking me to race with you." At age 78, he hasn't slowed down a bit.
If not on the slopes,
perhaps you've seen him at the skating rink, on the tennis courts, the
golf course, or the bike trail. He's usually the one out there giving
someone a lesson. "I get great pleasure when I see someone excel
through the knowledge I share," says the man who himself has never
had a formal lesson in any sport, except ice dance.
Harold has been physically
active his whole life. He began playing ice hockey in high school and
later played some semi-pro. "I remember the day Pearl Harbor was
bombed [Dec. 7, 1941]. I was a senior in high school, and had just finished
playing hockey at what was then the old Madison Square Garden, when the
news broke and shook the world," he recalls.
After graduating
from high school, he and some buddies saw an ad in the Daily News that
the Army was looking for volunteer ski troops to train for World War II.
He joined the 10th Mountain Division and went to Colorado.
"We trained
in skiing and mountain climbing for fighting in winter mountain warfare,"
he says. The Division, credited with helping end World War II after an
almost insurmountable nighttime ascent of the 1,500-foot Riva Ridge in
Italy's Apennine Mountains, is one of the more celebrated fighting units
in U.S. history. Harold served in the Army for three years, and today
is still active in 10th Mountain Division ski reunions.
"The training
made us strong," he says. He feels the conditioning he learned has
carried over into civilian life and fueled his passion for exercise.
In 1948 he married
and settled in Long Island, where he worked for 35 years for the Postal
Service. Twelve years ago he and wife Loraine moved to Queensbury. "I
knew and loved this area from coming camping in the Adirondacks,"
he says.
Throughout his years
in lower New York he continued to play hockey and became very involved
in Alpine skiing. At the age of 50, he quit hockey and bought himself
a pair of figure skates. "I learned to really skate when I took up
figure skating," he says laughingly, referring to the exacting edge
control and balance required to figure skate.
"I was kidded
a lot by my peers for getting figure skates," he says. "But
I really enjoyed it. I felt I was starting to get too banged up playing
hockey."
He didn't want to
break any bones jumping, so he took up ice dancing for the next 15 years.
"I was addicted to it," he says, "sometimes skating 4-6
hours a day. I love the music." He reached the highest level in ice
dancing, the gold dances.
Harold still figure
skates several times a week through most of the year. He also plays ice
hockey twice a week at the Glens Falls Recreation Center on the Seniors
Hockey Team (age 50+). And in winter he still finds time for downhill
skiing.
"I ski 65-70 days a year, according to snow conditions, in Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York," he says. Harold started ski racing at age 70. He's a member of the 70+ Ski Club, a nationwide group that sponsors outings and ski races. This January, he came in third place, taking the bronze, in the "Lloyd Lambert Race" (named after the founder of the club). In previous years, he's taken first place in several races. Just a "kid" in the group, he exclaims, "I have friends between the ages of 82 and 86 who are still skiing."
| "The socializing with others is as beneficial to your well-being as the exercise itself." |
Harold
exercises almost every day. In warmer weather he regularly plays tennis
and golf. "I average about 60 rounds of golf a year," he says.
He notes the Queensbury Country Club, saying he feels it is "one
of the most beautiful golf courses in the Adirondacks."
For the past seven
summers he has been an instructor at the Roller Hockey Camp at the Glens
Falls Recreation Center. Here he teaches kids in-line skating. "I've
been skating on Rollerblades for about ten years now," he says. "I
love teaching kids."
In addition to these
activities, he also enjoys bicycling, hiking, kayaking and fishing.
How does one stay
fit and active in his 70's and beyond? Harold says, "I've always
maintained my weight through exercise, tried to keep a good diet and never
smoked." He also feels the camaraderie with others in a sport does
a lot to keep him young. "The socializing with others is as beneficial
to your well-being as the exercise itself," he says.
His wife adds, "When
we were younger, we decided to stay involved doing what we enjoy. We made
time for these activities, so we would have them when we got older."
She used to bike and skate, and at 75, still enjoys skiing.
Other ingredients
Harold feels contribute to a lifetime of wellness are a keen sense of
humor and a grateful attitude toward life. "Growing up during the
Depression we had to learn to take care of our things, because we didn't
have much. I think because of that we're still very thrifty today and
appreciate what we have," he says. "After the Depression I found
I still rode a bike everywhere. I didn't even want a car."
"I have always
felt that my physical fitness is more important than taking the easy way
out. Even today, if I can ride my bike to the store, I do it instead of
using the car, just for some exercise and fresh air," he says. "Once
you don't use your muscles, it's hard to get started once you're older."
Harold says he's
disappointed to see so many young people smoking today. When in the Army,
he chose not to start. He remembers thinking "I can pay my car insurance
with the money I would spend on cigarettes." Harold still sees dollar
signs and believes in putting his money to good use. He encourages people
to go to the park and play tennis—it doesn't cost anything—or
go biking, instead of sending their money "up in smoke." Or,
"go to the rink, where you get the chance to skate with young girls,"
he chuckles.
Harold feels his
life has been like the writing of a book—always adding new chapters.
He has delighted in meeting so many people through his sports, and is
thankful he's still capable to take pleasure in these activities.
Does Harold have
a favorite sport? "No," he says, "I enjoy them all."
Cheryl Elton is a freelance writer who lives in Glens Falls with her
husband and two sons. She is an avid figure skater and enjoys teaching
piano.
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