The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We explore thriving as an athlete after 40. Each episode, we’ll dive into tips, hacks, and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes and our personal experience. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong, and motivated
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
Triumph Over Challenges: Kathy Burr's Journey with Active Aging
This episode highlights Kathy's inspiring journey into pickleball after significant health challenges, illustrating that it's never too late to embrace an active lifestyle. Through her story, we explore the importance of community, confidence, and the joys of movement for those over 40.
• Kathy’s background and the health challenges she faced
• The transition from limited activities to playing pickleball
• The role of community in fostering confidence and connection
• Benefits of staying active for recovery post-surgery
• How sports enhance personal growth in various aspects of life
• Finding the balance between competition and enjoyment in sports
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New episodes come out every other Thursday!
Welcome to the Master's Athlete Survival Guide, where we explore the secrets to thriving in sports after 40. I'm John Catalinas and, along with Scott Feig, we'll dive into training tips, nutrition hacks and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes who defy age limits. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong and motivated. Let's get started and we're back. Hi, I'm John, I'm still Scott and today we have Kathy Burr on with us. Kathy is one of the nearly 300 people in my Pickleball group. It is a huge app that basically you sign up for Pickball locally and kathy is one of them that participates. Usually a little after me, I go psychotically early in the morning and when I made the call on the app for people to stop by the podcast kathy's like you know you old bald men you need a woman's perspective I agreed, so kathy.
Speaker 2:what's funny is you know, john, you don't know me. I'm old and I'm bald. Yeah, see, so it kind of worked out prophetically. Yeah, we need perspective.
Speaker 1:So thank you, Hi Kathy.
Speaker 3:Hi, kathy, hi Hi.
Speaker 1:So, kathy, when you volunteered you looked me square in the eye and said I don't know about my story, but you need the woman's perspective and I love pickleball. So can you kind of espouse a little on your background, like what, if anything, athletic have you done in your life?
Speaker 2:Wow, that was kind of insulting Kathy.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't mean it that way, you really?
Speaker 2:shouldn't take that from him.
Speaker 1:I didn't mean that Kathy tell us a little bit about yourself. There you go, thank you, that's why I have Scott. He's my balance.
Speaker 3:Well, I think I may have told you that it might be interesting, because I don't really have a real athletic background. When I was little I had asthma and I didn't do sports per se and I would try to do tennis and then, as I got older, the last five years well, maybe seven years ago I had hip replacement shoulder replacement from arthritis, and George went to high school with me and I knew he was getting this going and I would try it.
Speaker 3:but I wanted to wait until all my joints were replaced. So I've been doing this. It'll be two years in March that I've been playing and getting to know people and getting my skills a little bit better, or at least that I think they may be a little bit better.
Speaker 2:All right, Kathy, I'm going to dance around the question that you never ask a woman. I don't want to know your age. I'm not going to ask your age, but this is the master's athlete survival guide. Would you qualify as a master's athlete? What is?
Speaker 1:that criteria Scott 40 plus.
Speaker 3:Yeah, what does it?
Speaker 1:mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I love it. Oh, yeah, oh definitely.
Speaker 3:you can't be as old as john, though john's like older than dirt.
Speaker 2:hey yo yo, all right. So you said when you were young you had some some health issues like asthma and stuff like that, and I think you know that we're all the same age and that wasn't talked about as much when we were kids but it really did impact what we did and there wasn't the modified this or the changed version of that type of thing. You said recently you know, and God bless you, that you're out there playing pickleball because John's told me and I've've seen a little bit about it, with the motion and whatnot, with the hip injuries and the other injuries described so truly, god bless you. That's phenomenal. I have a hard time walking sideways after a workout to begin with. He just has a hard time walking sideways, period.
Speaker 2:Well or up driveways. Yeah, that's true. Enough said.
Speaker 1:So the one thing I'd like to stick in here, kathy, is I am on the board of the American Lung Association here locally in Western New York. If you ever need any resources for asthma or someone with asthma you know, please reach out, because I am a conduit to all those things. Oh, okay, and then the next thing is, like Scott approached, giving you as much credit as you deserve. It's amazing to like start something. I mean, pickleball is sort of self-regulating, right, you can stand there and just kind of whack at the ball or you can run around like a fool and chase everything. But I keep telling Scott and this is why I love that you're on the podcast I've seen the stat everywhere that people who play racquet sports live 10 years longer. Wow, so I applaud that, after all the repairs you've had done, that you're getting after it Two years. Have you seen the benefit after it? Two years have you?
Speaker 3:seen the benefit. Yeah Well, also, I guess what I thought was I've been struggling playing tennis for a long time, or trying to, and I guess I kind of thought maybe they would help each other. I just thought maybe one skill would help the other. So I don't know yet if that's true, but people will tell me oh no, well, this is different and some of it's the same, but it feels like I felt like I could see quicker results, better at pickleball than I was tennis, and now they both seem to be, unless I'm just.
Speaker 3:It takes me a while, but at least maybe I'm just a little more confident in feeling better about the way I'm playing than than it was all the time up to now. But also when you're in pain and you know you got to go have you know different joints, then once you feel a whole lot better, oh my god, then you want to just go do it all yeah, yeah, no, I get that for sure.
Speaker 2:No, I, I, yeah, I agree with john. Things start feeling good. It's like, hey, wait a minute, let's try the next step in this. Yeah, so let me jump a little backwards here. On you, john said you, you play pickleball and that's how he knows you, and you talked a little bit about that, a little bit about tennis. You said when you were younger you didn't do a lot of athletics because of asthma and whatnot. Why did you start? What got you started? When did you start? You know what? What did you do when you started? Was it pickleball? Was it tennis? Was it something else? Tell us a little bit about that. You know getting off the couch, putting down the cheetos and moving oh, you mean throughout my life or just lately?
Speaker 1:just how did you transition from feeling you couldn't do anything to, I mean, tennis? I mean especially tennis, because I'm horrible tennis, I can't play tennis. I mean, tennis is a physical sport. Uh, how does one go from feeling they can't do anything to something like tennis?
Speaker 3:That is a good question, because I'm still working on that. When I was younger, I would do like workouts, like, oh, I don't know, there used to be a sophisticated lady. Now I'm really dating myself.
Speaker 1:Oh, I remember that place.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there were places like that where you'd go and do. I always felt like I had to do an aerobic workout, or when I retired 10 years ago, I thought, well, maybe I'll try yoga. And then I thought, oh my gosh, I'm just laying here, I can't do this. I just got to get up and move. I've always felt like I've got to be moving and something, and so I would hike, I would walk, I would, and so then I transitioned into pickleball because I thought, well, this is really more fun than hiking and people seem very nice and it's more of a social thing too You'll probably hear that from a lot of people and it just feels very welcoming, and that could just be the people in the group.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we've gotten lucky on. I don't know if the sport self-selects good people or we just are surrounded by a lot of good people, but I don't disagree with you that it is a great bunch of people and the one thing that Scott and I say on almost every episode of this silly podcast is whatever you're doing, community is always a big part of it. Like I know, there's plenty of days that I care less about the playing than I do of you know, seeing my quote unquote pickleball friends and you know talking about. You know how the bills are definitely going to win the Superbowl, that kind of.
Speaker 3:Thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so no, I, I definitely applaud that. Um, so you've played two years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, people were saying that today. I just wanted to say I was there this morning for a lesson.
Speaker 1:Oh, how'd that go I?
Speaker 3:hadn't gotten in all week. Well, there were a lot of people there. There were like 16 or more people Really. So we did crazy eights. And besides George, there are other people that are just such good teachers and so kind to be giving their time to you to help you. And that really makes you feel like you want to be giving their time to you to help you and and that really makes you feel like you want to go and take advantage of that and just be helped.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it is amazing that I think there's what three, four, five people that would be classified as instructors and it's all just basically volunteers. That are you? Know a little head of the journey, just are a little more talented, put a little more effort into it.
Speaker 1:I know that I will stop by every now and then and work with Mark Thill because he is super passionate about it and is incredibly insightful to watch you for a little bit and say, hey, you know you're doing this and he's old enough and I didn't know if we could mention names.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, absolutely, you're doing this and he's old enough to, and I didn't know if we could mention names.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, absolutely, yeah, absolutely, unless you want to call him out that you know he did something horrible and we got to call the authorities.
Speaker 2:No, but then the name is John Catalan and you said something horrible happened yeah basically. So, Kathy, one of the things you mentioned is that in playing, it builds your confidence a little bit. Like John said, we talk quite often about the tribe, the community and whatever sport we've chosen. How would you say, if at all, that the confidence that you're realizing as you're becoming better and having more fun doing this, does it transfer to other things in your life? Does it boost your confidence in work or in other endeavors that you do?
Speaker 3:Well, I haven't quite figured that all out yet, but I do think so because it certainly feels like it's helping me in tennis and again to start to go to do these things. I didn't have a friend to say, hey, let's go do this together. So when you're trying to do things on your own and meeting all new people, it took me a little while to just keep coming and feel like I wasn't so horrible that I was holding people back or you know, a lot of people started, similar to the time that I did, so maybe that was helpful and so in other things I've tried, I'm doing a lot of swing dancing now, so that has helped.
Speaker 3:I think I just go out there and go and dance with people and just, yeah, I think maybe it is transferring to other places parts of my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember when I started, because actually the way I started Karen took a lesson at the local senior center. I had heard of Pickleball but that was about the extent of it. But she took a lesson, really got interested in it, and we just I got a paddle just so that she and I could kind of just bat a ball back and forth. And then I went to the local park, como Park, one morning during when there was a group session.
Speaker 1:And you know that barrier when you walk in not knowing anybody and it feels super awkward and you don't know what to do that that that didn't really exist and does not really exist and, again, an incredibly gracious welcoming crowd, and I think that might be why pickleball is kind of a giant thing. I mean it's, it's super popular and I was talking to one of the people who play, who used to be a gym teacher, and she was telling me that she was teaching pickleball 30 years ago and I think I may have heard about it three years ago.
Speaker 1:But I do applaud you because, especially with the hip replacement, I'm a career scientist by vocation and I research everything because I'm psycho that way, especially with the hip replacement. Uh, I'm a career scientist by vocation and I do. I research everything because I'm psycho that way. Leg strength as we age is so super important. Um, I speak on here every now and then. My mom got lung cancer and sat in a chair one day and kind of lost the will to get back up and I think that was a big part of her decline. So I encourage everybody to move and I think the fact that you're doing pickleball and swing dancing and all those things that you know you can kind of push yourself as much as you need to, is great and the community part is a bonus well, I think it's that realization, john, that we've talked about in the past, the realization that you do do need to move, and the acceptance therein.
Speaker 2:So I agree with you on that.
Speaker 3:Well, they say too that tennis is your game for life, or at least that's what they say where I play. But yeah, I mean, there are guys that well, now they're playing pickleball. The one guy says I'm 90. And so you know, good for him, he can beat me, yeah. And so then I always say to these people I want to be you when I grow up. Some of them are just, you know, I know a lady who does races and she's like 90 now, and she was always one of the few people in her group but she goes running. She didn't start until she was in her 60s.
Speaker 2:Oh, good for her.
Speaker 3:I don't know if you'd agree.
Speaker 1:But when we were kids, like 90 was in a wheelchair sitting over in the corner napping. Oh yeah. Now 90 is. I'm running 5Ks. The change is astounding.
Speaker 3:Well, I think the realization and I'm hoping, yeah, I'm running 5ks. The change is astounding. Well, I think, the realization. I'm hoping, yeah, I'm hoping we can all still be that way.
Speaker 1:That is the goal isn't it?
Speaker 2:I mean, I think the realization for me about age came many years ago. My wife and I were just married. We went up to Northern Maine to visit her family. My wife's mother is one of 17 children. Oh geez, yeah, her, my wife's eldest uncle. We were there for his 75th wedding anniversary. Wow, and I'm thinking myself.
Speaker 3:I want to be alive at 75, let alone be married for 75 years.
Speaker 2:But the realization came later on, when I'm looking around and there are all these, you know, 80, 90 plus year old people, a couple in their hundreds, and they're not, like john said, in their wheelchair. As a society, we're changing now and I think that's an incredible statement to just you know the fact that we do have people who are in the 60s, 70s, 80s still playing or starting sports.
Speaker 1:So, kathy, you mentioned hip replacement, shoulder replacement. How did those go? Are you, are you? I've never had any surgery, so I'm always curious, like, are you back to, you know, being mostly mobile?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah yeah. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I was just determined to you know, do what I had to do to get back to where I wanted to be.
Speaker 1:Did you have to do a lot of rehab or did you just take it upon yourself to walk and move and stuff?
Speaker 3:with some rehab. There was you know the standard, I don't know four or five weeks that you go to physical therapy, maybe more or maybe less, but if you're already pretty healthy and active it's a whole lot easier. And to be very what would I say? You know, if they assign you exercises every day, you know you want to do them, so you're going to get back to normal as quickly as you can.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but what you don't want to what you are very nice to not say is there's people that don't want to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because I saw that and I just felt bad for them. Because it just seems like you know if and I know it, I know it's painful and hard initially, or you know, but then and you can maybe gauge your progress not by days but by a week from like, and you could say, oh, a week ago I was doing this, but now I'm doing this, would say, oh, a week ago I was doing this, but now.
Speaker 3:I'm doing this and literally the first hip replacement. The one therapist came to my house over the weekend and when you say a walker, you think oh, but you know I had to get a walker. And so I was like four or five days after the hip surgery and he goes, you don't need that anymore. And he literally threw it across the room and I'm like okay you know, like okay, he goes here, take this cane. I said okay, and I didn't need that very long either, I was out.
Speaker 1:I drove in like two and a half weeks oh, that's cool so yeah yeah, I I mean, I'm sure, as a therapist, some of those like they're they're probably very encouraged by people like you that are trying, and I'm sure it's very like you know they get in their car at the end of the day and are incredibly discouraged when they have a client that's just not trying to help themselves. Kathy, when you you said you were retired when you did work, what did you do for a living?
Speaker 3:Oh, I was a teacher in Buffalo oh okay, okay, I was just wondering.
Speaker 1:You know I'm always curious, like you know, can you go from a desk job to play in tennis? Some people can, some people can't. What did?
Speaker 3:you teach. What did you teach? Yeah, I was a school librarian.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's fun.
Speaker 3:But I know when people hear that they think, oh you know, put your finger to your lips. It was not like that at all. It was very active and very curriculum-oriented and supporting the teachers and doing computer skills and research and then just other fun things too about literature. So it was very, very active and very involved with all the other classes. No, I understand.
Speaker 1:My girlfriend, karen, taught English at the local high school. She just retired for 30 years, so I understand all of it a lot more than I ever did, Kathy.
Speaker 3:I want to.
Speaker 1:In fact, sometimes I sub occasionally, just because I miss the kids yeah, yeah that that karen does the same thing and and she was, oh, okay, she was over the actual trying to like discipline and manage children, but she loves kids, like with her whole heart and loves to be around them. Kathy, you had mentioned something earlier and I don't want to gloss over around them.
Speaker 2:Kathy, you had mentioned something earlier and I don't want to gloss over it. You know you said you had your surgeries and whatnot, but you said it's easier to get back in shape if you were in shape. I mean that speaks to what you're talking about.
Speaker 1:That might be the life lesson from this entire episode is that that's a great insight, yeah.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm. Life lesson from this entire episode is that. That's a great insight, yeah, well, yeah, I mean because, well, I, I know whether I asked or they told me. You know, there are things you could do before the surgery to make sure you're, you're strong and but, but I was always walking and hiking and and doing things anyway, so that I wanted to be you know and you can tell as soon as you had that surgery, you're and you're trying to lift your legs and at one point I had a little bit of a setback with a hip flexor, but yeah you know it did it just wear out and you just needed it.
Speaker 3:Oh, it was all arthritis.
Speaker 1:Okay, because we have friends that limped pretty bad for a long time because hip replacement was, and I don't know if that's still true or if it's a myth that they try to hold you off for a while because replacements only last so long. Is that true, do you know?
Speaker 3:that Well, I think they want to do them. You know, like if someone was 45 or 50, I think they probably would.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because I'm thinking that they last at least 20 years you know maybe more and so if you're in your 60s they probably figure, yeah, go ahead, whatever, I'll let her have it. But I don't know. I mean, I'm sure it would just depend on the particular case. But the other thing that throws you off is if you have a bad hip and you're limping and then your back might hurt, well then you have your hip surgery and then that's back in place, but then something else might hurt, because all these injuries throw you out of balance and you don't realize how much your body depends on each other pieces. You know that you have to get back into alignment.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so you had some compensation kind of things like oh, now I have to walk correctly, I hadn't thought of that, yeah, yeah, yeah, especially your back.
Speaker 3:Or you might have to do physical therapy for you know some other problem, because you were compensating for it and you didn't know it.
Speaker 2:So so if you had to, if somebody came up to you, you know, former colleagues or whatnot, when you were teaching and they said to you what's new, what's different, how would you sort of I don't know, maybe give them some advice or or whatnot, about how you've? I mean, from what, john's, you've jumped into this and you're playing and you're moving around a lot?
Speaker 1:And you wouldn't notice that she's had significant surgeries.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what type of advice would you give to somebody that says oh, I just I feel my age, I'm 65. I'm 70. You know I just what are you doing? You look, great, You're moving.
Speaker 3:You've got good energy. What would you say to that person? Well, I might have to know something about what they had done, because if they were an active person I would have no trouble saying, oh gosh, you know, please go and try it because you'll really enjoy it, and you know, with the camaraderie and everything. But if they were a desk, you know, if they sat all the time, I'm not sure what I would say. I mean, they might want to try walking or hiking first, or just trying something small, and then, of course, it depends on if they like sports, because it was something I was never into and I, you know, have embraced it. But it would depend on, I guess, the other person's situation. Or maybe if they were a tennis player like David Gina I don't know if you know him.
Speaker 3:You know, and so he has transitioned to pickleball. So it might depend on those things too. A lot of people who play tennis say they don't do it anymore because pickleball is a little easier, and they'd rather do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I said, it is easier, for sure. I mean the court's smaller, the effort is a little less. I mean you can go as bonkers as you want. But again, and I would encourage everybody and I think kathy missed her own point it's the community, it's the, it's the pickleball community, it's the swing dance community, it's whatever is at your local senior center community or your you know your gym or your you know your recreational center, that that just seems to benefit to me. I see so many people come in play and they just light up because they see people that they wouldn't typically. And as we age, I think our circle of friends gets so much smaller.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and one thing I would add, though, to that in my particular case, it is community, but it also is people might say, oh, let's go do that for fun, let's go play tennis for fun, and I, and you, I'm sure, know too there are people that say that, but they're really not in it for fun because they have a competitive, many competitive bones in their body and I don't.
Speaker 3:I'm just happy to be doing a sport that I can enjoy doing with people that that also enjoy doing it with me. And because that issue of thinking I was never sporty, you know, maybe I won't be accepted and it's that's not. I mean, I'm just grateful that that has not been the case and that I have found enough people that are just willing to play for fun and they're not ready to slam it over the net and just, you know, be competitive Cause I think I would just walk away then.
Speaker 1:I think lots of people would, and I I give you credit because I mean, I think it's. I think 95 of the people are willing to play in a. Let's have some fun, let's push ourselves a little, but you're right there. There is that that five percent of I'm gonna beat you and I'm gonna laugh at you while I'm beating you. So that's's fine. And I don't know. Scott and I in our careers have both competed in national level sports. So not to toot our own horns, but we're pretty decent athletes. I think the more athletic you get and the more background you have, I think the less you need to prove yourself at the local rec league or period, John.
Speaker 2:I guess that's where humility comes in. You know you don't need to to toot your horn.
Speaker 1:We don't all need to sing on stage when we're trying to hold something heavy I was gonna say are you gonna have to explain after the podcast what this humility thing is you're talking about, because I am unfamiliar for sure that is for sure?
Speaker 1:Well, kathy, this is, this has kind of been our time. I deeply appreciate you stopping by and talking to us for a bit. I think there's some great takeaways from talking to you. You know, first of all, you know you weren't a division I super athlete growing up. You didn't come from some family of uber-athletes. But you're still out there having fun moving your body and it's about lifespan at this point and healthspan, not necessarily trying to win a $2 trophy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the quality.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I mean and I love the accidental lesson If anybody takes anything away from this to get healthy before a surgery or a medical procedure, that's awesome. I don't know that I've ever considered that. That's great and I thank you for sharing that Most definitely Thank you. Is there anything that you wanted to say that we forgot to ask you about?
Speaker 3:Well, no, what you just said about quality you know, like I say, I'm enjoying doing this more now than just going hiking or, you know, walking, because maybe just because it's more fun doing it with other people, because it's more fun doing it with other people, so I'm glad, for I guess it's also the quality of what you want to do in your life and as long as you're having fun and enjoying it, because you feel good, I guess that's part of it too.
Speaker 2:Well, I guess that goes to a foundation that John and I are very involved with, where we just want people to smile, and if that's what's making you smile, then then do it. You know, we want to make people smile and we're happy when they do so. You're right, it is that quality of what you're doing to you yeah and I.
Speaker 1:I look forward to kicking your butt next time I play.
Speaker 2:I look forward to you beating john. Yeah, beating John.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's probably more true, that's more true. Okay, okay, kathy, we're going to wrap things up now For everybody. This was Kathy. Thank you very much, kathy. Thanks, kathy, I am John. Thank you, I'm still Scott. Okay, we'll see you next time folks.
Speaker 3:Thanks John, thanks everybody, thanks Scott.
Speaker 1:Okay, have Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram at Masters Athlete Survival Guide. Thanks again. Now get off our lawn, you damn kids.