Ed Koch wrote,
>I seem to recall a rule of thumb told me about masters competition some time
>ago that the average athlete who stays in shape can expect to lose 1% on
>their performance every year past age thirty. Perhaps, the lose of
>performance is slower for elite athletes or it starts later (35?). 10.99 is
>close to 5% slower than 10.49 (if you believe 10.49 is legit). I'd be
>curious to hear what Ken, Ed, or any masters on the list think.
My participation in masters track predated the development of age-grading
tables, and nearly predated development of the metric system. :-) I
remember some agreement among jumpers that a reasonable target for masters
was their best high school mark in the event.
Age-grading may be useful for ego-stroking and bar-boasting, but it
probably doesn't have any place in media reports for general consumption.
Cheers,
Roger
