Do you consider yourself an athlete?

I know people who are athletic and even though they don't compete, I view them as athletes, after all, they are people who can play baseball, ice skate, run track, etc. extremely well. I have been told by a man down here on the island that I am not an athlete, and he even went so far as to say I was an embarrassment to all athletes because I was so very old (57 when he told me this). My reply to him was this: I may not look like an athlete to you, but I am a swimmer and I proved it in the triathlon 1 mile swim that year placing 2nd out of all women and most of the men. Any person who engages in physical activity weekly, daily, etc., and continues with it, is both athletic and an athlete in my book, and as an athlete ages and continues to be athletic, they are true athletes. Because as body parts start to hurt a bit more with age and we continue in our athletic ways, this is a good indication of those who are athletes, competing or not. So, yes, I am a swimming athlete. Donna

I know people who are athletic and even though they don't compete, I view them as athletes, after all, they are people who can play baseball, ice skate, run track, etc. extremely well. I have been told by a man down here on the island that I am not an athlete, and he even went so far as to say I was an embarrassment to all athletes because I was so very old (57 when he told me this). My reply to him was this: I may not look like an athlete to you, but I am a swimmer and I proved it in the triathlon 1 mile swim that year placing 2nd out of all women and most of the men. Any person who engages in physical activity weekly, daily, etc., and continues with it, is both athletic and an athlete in my book, and as an athlete ages and continues to be athletic, they are true athletes. Because as body parts start to hurt a bit more with age and we continue in our athletic ways, this is a good indication of those who are athletes, competing or not. So, yes, I am a swimming athlete. Donna