Definition of Expertise with Age
Expertise in sports is a complex process and, when talked about, can elicit many different thoughts, comments, and feelings. So what happens when we bring age into the picture? What happens to the definition of expertise? What happens when we consider physiological constraints, psychological processes, and the experience of aging? The below are just some thoughts ,but there is so much more to this question than what is written below.
As athletes age, it becomes potentially necessary to alter our definition of expertise. Let’s take a look at why, beginning with physiological constraints. Cellularly, the aging tempo of mitochondrial dysfunction differs between muscles and the ratio of Type II muscle fibers (Conley et al., 2007). What does this mean for aging athletes? It means that intracellular factors are at work, not just time impacting aging (Conley et al., 2007). To provide a little context, mitochondria are the cell's powerhouse and are vital for cell functioning. Beginning on the cellular level is important because the body is built of cells, providing another avenue to think of physiological constraints. Additionally, this specific study about mitochondria reminds us there is no "one size fits all" approach because athletes are unique in their genetic makeup. That influence needs to be included in the thought process. Zooming out to a more macro level, research has demonstrated that with aging, particularly after 50, people see declines in neuromuscular function, muscle strength, power, exercise economy, anaerobic threshold, and peak oxygen uptake via processes like muscle atrophy, deficiencies in nervous system function, and damage in intrinsic muscle quality (Mendonca et al., 2017). The body thus has a different ability than it did when it was younger, meaning that a definition of expertise needs to be adjusted to match the capabilities; otherwise, we are holding people to less equitable and prejudiced standards.
Another consideration that is vital to understand is that of culture. Everyone is impacted by culture, and not considering culture and aging means leaving out a piece of the puzzle. Aging can be seen as a meaning-making process, and as people age, they internalize values from their culture, which become goals for developing throughout life (Fung, 2013). Take the United States' dominant culture as an example. Aging is viewed as "bad" and something to hide or delay for as long as possible. This can be illustrated in all the anti-aging products and how we "hide" elders away and forget about them rather than valuing the wisdom that comes with age. Another facet to consider is how people from different cultures process different aspects of information and utilize different information-processing strategies (Park et al., 1999). Culture directly impacts our behavior and how we understand the world, which leads us to the part of the discussion about aging aiding in achievement in one manner or another.
One classic example in sports is how an expert athlete transitions to coach, mentor, or media commentator or reporter as they age. Others continue to run, for example, and set new records for being the oldest to finish a marathon. Those who take the first route highlight how aging aids in the collection of wisdom, experience, and expert knowledge that can be passed to the new generation or shared to help lay people understand what is occurring on the screen. On the other route, they are redefining what maintenance of expertise can look like by taking years of expertise and modifying it to adjust to the physical consequences of aging. That is a skill that can be cultivated with wisdom and age.
A final question to conclude this post. Do we let culture and society dictate our choices, or do we find and access the new definition of sports expertise and advocate for a change in understanding what aging in expert athletes means?
A person holding paddles in front of a yellow boat.
take action today moment:
Answer the above question. Which side do you agree with and why? If you want to advocate for change, what steps can you take to bring about change?
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References
Conley, K. E., Jubrias, S. A., Amara, C. E., & Marcinek, D. J. (2007). Mitochondrial dysfunction: Impact on exercise performance and cellular aging. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 35(2), 43-49. doi: 10.1249/JES.0b013e31803e88e9
Fung, H. H. (2013). Aging in culture. The Gerontologist, 53(3), 369-377. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt024
Mendonca, G. V., Pezarat-Correia, P., Vaz, J. R., Silva, L., & Heffernan, K. S. (2017). Impact of aging on endurance and neuromuscular physical performance: The role of vascular senescence. Sports Medicine, 47, 583-598.
Park, D. C., Nisbett, R., & Hedden, T. (1999). Aging, culture, and cognition. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 54(2), P75-P84.