Discussion: Start AR as Master?

in CA, fascinated with the sport, frustrating to find AR in CA.. did "Checkpoint Challenge" which was good, couldn't do Gold Rush..

I am 56, in great shape.. any tips to find a "Master's" team? Simply not enough interest here it seems, or I can't find them. Any "old" folks out there looking for a male?.. I can travel easily, although I need to learn more on flying with my bike...

Thanks

Might find this FB group better at reaching future teammates...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BayAreaAdventureRa...

Or

https://www.facebook.com/groups/49929761369/

I wouldn't limit myself to a masters team to be honest. Sometimes the younger teams could do with the steadying hand that an older head brings.

I think of the young bull and the old bull analogy.

If teammates are hard to find, you may want to look for races that include a Solo category. That will get you into the sport and help you meet people.

In your own area, there may be some groups that could be good sources of potential teammates - mountain biking or trail running clubs, etc.

There are lots of adventure racers over 40 so don't be concerned about age. There is a huge mental component to the sport, and it helps to have more life experience to draw on.

i like racing w old people! 2 of my teammates are 50+ (i am 32) and they kick my butt every race. their experience is so so valuable.

also consider attending orienteering meets in CA?

Silky hit send first!

My team spans ~20 years, roughly 30-50 or so. You're already fit, so if you're nice to be around 18 hours into something, you'll be welcome.

Also, orienteer as much as you can, never hurts to have more navigation skill on a team.

old people?!?!? :-0

where do we draw that line?! ;-)

Last race exp race I did with a kid (30's) and an toddler (18)
... and I think there was a whole team of dead guys at Expedition Africa this year
:-)

... you're only as old as you feel - after you get warmed up.

Ditto on Kyle's FB pages.

If you're looking for training company, sometimes FB can help find that. Or here I guess, depending on where you live.

Ask the race organizers for help finding teammates too. They know people.

What if you're too old to be on Face Book?
:-)

Try this one also.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ARTeammateFinder/

Thanks much for all the replies!, and tips...great community.. I'll try the FB links.. I'm in San Diego. did the checkpoint challenge in San Luis Obispo, as a single... that was a great start. Had to work during Gold Rush. I am doing the Orienteering club events here, I will try to do some LA or SFO orienteering.. seems to be more there.
Yes, I can typically hang with avg young folks athletically.. but not wise and old on AR
THANKS!

Yamabu, Find Dan Abel in the LA area (I think). He's got many years of experience that you can mine, he's a "mature" racer, and he may still be interested in racing.

off to the mine I go...thanks Afsheen!

Hi Yamabu! I'm not a master, but I've been doing this for a while and I live in Ventura. I make it down your way once in a while (planning a work trip in August.) We could meet up for a training day sometime.