Dreams Know No Age

By Laura De La Borda

“You don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams,” Dara Torres related after her 2008 Beijing Olympics success. A forty-year-old woman returning to the Olympics was unheard of. Dara, the most decorated female athlete, surpassed the odds after capturing three silver medals, racing against competitors twenty years younger. 

She faced many uphill battles when she decided to pursue her swimming career after she retired at age 25 because she felt she was too old. Dara thinks her story will inspire middle-aged men and women.

“I hope my age paves the way for other athletes who may think they’re too old to do something.”

Many older adults have the determination and desire to learn because of hard, unfortunate circumstances they faced as children. Alferd Williams, a seventy-year-old first grade student, knows this firsthand. As the son of a sharecropper in the 1930s, he was never given the opportunity to attend school. Instead, he worked in the fields alongside his parents. However, he made a promise to his mother that he would learn how to read. By fulfilling his lifelong dream of reading, he has opened his eyes and is seeing life from a different perspective.

At the age of 90, Dr. Gertrude Webb, a Jewish-American woman, decided she wanted to learn Hebrew. As a child, she began Hebrew school, but never really learned to read all of the letters because the class was already reading when she enrolled. Unfortunately three years later, the Great Depression hit, leaving no money for luxuries. Now, she attends Hebrew classes and studies with her son. Not only is she learning the language of her heritage, but she and her son’s souls have a deeper connection.

Since competing in 37 marathons, 300 triathlons and 31 Ironman Triathlons, Sister Madonna Buder, a seventy-sixyear- old nun from Washington, has become a running fanatic. She is fairly new to the running world because she began racing after the age of 50. Helping a family member battle alcoholism inspired her to run her first race. Sister Madonna believed that her running would give her family member the will to overcome this addiction. Christ’s death on the cross helped her finish training for that first 8.2-mile Bloomsday Race. Through her trials and joys of running, she feels that God has blessed her with this ministry to inspire others to reach their goals, whether big or small. She won’t be hanging up her running shoes anytime soon Many universities have noticed a jump in their enrollment for older adults. Registration Capella University has grown 32 percent between 2005 and 2006, where the average age of students is 41. Also, Palo Alto College has noticed a 36 percent increase in adult learners between 2001 and 2004.

As for me, I will never be finished learning. Three years ago, a group of 15 inexperienced ladies formed a team named the Shooters to play indoor soccer in the women’s over-thirty league. Only two players had ever played; I was not one of those!

Through practice, never giving up, and working together, our team has won two championships. Now socializing, exercise, and fun fill Tuesday nights at Soccer Spectrum as we eagerly anticipate our weekly matches.

Also, attending and participating in a threeweek writing institute stretched my brain. Writing daily and learning new techniques changed my outlook on teaching. By being immersed in the writer’s craft, I am learning to be a better teacher.

Reflect on the desires of your heart. Know that others have paved the path before you. Find a role model to inspire you because our dreams know no boundaries. Go for it, and never look back, except to see how far you’ve come!

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Laura De La Borda, age 34, is a third grade teacher at Norton Elementary in Allen, Texas, who loves learning, reading, playing soccer and traveling with her husband.