Day # 93 / Day # 5

Published in Danish June 12, 2020.

RISE #1

After injuries, a mutual sea swim challenge in about 5-6 degrees celsius water on April 6, conversations, peptalks and of course lockdown, two rusty, thin-haired, middle-aged, community and competition-minded badminton friends returned on half court.

It is about the slow and restrained return to the badminton movements.

US OLD

Not even a good workout at home on the floor, on the grass in the garden, running on trails and roads or cycling in the local area can in any way prepare the body, and especially not an old body like ours from 1963 and 1965, on the physical challenges of the badminton court.

Filmed on August 3, 2018.

Earlier this week, on Wednesday, at the first touch of a shuttle indoors, the movements were stiff and inflexible, the coordination between movement and execution and the timing were completely gone and the lines extremely difficult to find, let alone the sensitivity, the touch, at the net.

Afterwards, after only a small hour, my ankles, knees, back and shoulders were hurting.

Friday, for the half court single with Hansen, I was already progressing. But very slowly. Extremely slowly!

It’s going to take time.

Old horses must be kept running. They must not be left untouched for 3 months in the stables and kept away from the racetrack.

THE YOUNG

On Wednesday evening, the youngsters threw themselves into quick changes of direction and jump smashes without any problems, and almost without any significant signs of a break and absence.

Oh, that youth. That energy. That carefreeness. That crispness.

“Some can …. some can’t”

“Hmmmm!”

“The way it looks like for me”

The Last Dance, episode IX, approximately 42:00

The young can. Without warming up, they go directly from the bench to the court and hit the shuttle, with an ease, agility and strength we, the elderly, can only dream of and perhaps faintly remember.

Filmed June 12, 2020

WE’RE RUSTING

We older ones are rusty. The joints are stiff. The lubrication takes a long time to flow out. The degeneration in the biological processes is underway and every year the road gets longer and longer. We cannot afford breaks. That’s why many of us are also continuing year-round. Despite summer holidays, Christmas and New Years and everything else.

For a period of this lockdown, my thoughts revolved around whether I was going to be able to cope with the upcoming recovery. Seriously. Because I knew it was going to be uphill. Straight uphill. And full of doubt, pain, will, and patience. But after today’s 60 minutes of half court play, I have no doubts. Not at all. Of course I want to take that trip. With Hansen. And all the others.

It will be OK. Us old will not return to the same level as before March 11th. But less is still OK. The game is still fun.

Per Damkjær Juhl