Phyllis Goodlad has won so many awards at athletic event for seniors, there’s too many to mention.
And when you talk to her, she never mentions them.
“What’s behind is behind. You’ve got to keep your sights on the future,” she said. At 86, she’s been collecting medals and trophies for decades.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
She doesn’t even know where most of them are. A couple of trophies can be seen in her home, but the majority are likely stored away in other rooms or in a shed at her home in Dade City.
Sometimes she even forgets to pick them up after she wins her events, she said.
Goodlad doesn’t even like to say she won or came in first place. She simply says “I did well,” so as not to seem boastful.
Her reluctance to appear prideful might stem from being a little girl in Wexford, Ireland before World War II, a time when women weren’t encouraged to participate in athletics, much less to excel at them.
“I was brought up where you couldn’t do sports, because ladies did not do that,” Goodlad recalled.
But they could marry athletes, and she found one in her husband, Terry.
“He was an all-around athlete. When I met him, he was going to turn pro as a boxer, and I don’t like boxing,” Goodlad recalled. “I gave him a choice.”
Terry chose love over a boxing glove, and they had been married for nearly 60 years, when he passed away in 2007.
During their marriage, her husband became an expert runner and cyclist, and traveled to participate in several sports around the world.
The interest rubbed off on Goodlad. She found herself trying new sports such as cross-country skiing, race-walking (where she holds Masters records in the United States and Canada) and triathlons.
She competed in last year’s Florida Senior Games in cycling and swimming.
And when she enters an athletic contest, she often wins.
She entered a triathlon at the National Senior Games in Cleveland, Ohio, a couple of years ago. After some coaxing, Goodlad admits she took first place.
But the victories and awards aren’t what are important to her.
She values the friendships she makes, the fun of competing and the health benefits that keep her in the water or on the course.
Those are the things that keep her feeling young.
“I don’t think of my age until I have to put it down,” Goodlad said.
Her athletic participation also keeps her mentally sharp. She enjoys setting goals for herself, using her tablet to research future events, and focusing on the next competition or event.
While most people in their mid-80s aren’t training for their next cycling event or swimming race, Goodlad said that seniors can and should do more to stay active.
Like most people, she watches some television — especially when the Olympics or Tour de France are on — but doesn’t make it her main activity for the day.
Doing something that requires physical exertion is harder than sitting in a chair and watching a program, she said, but the latter activities don’t provide any health benefits.
Even if someone’s health isn’t perfect, doing something is better than doing nothing, and can still make a big difference in their lives, Goodlad said.
“Get involved, even if it’s only for a short time in the morning or a short time in the afternoon or evening. Just don’t stay home all the time,” Goodlad advises. “Even if it’s only walking to the end of the street. Park your car as far away from the store as you can. Just that little but of walking is amazing. It’ll start you on a journey that will only give you the greatest pleasure you can think of.”
Goodlad’s journey takes her to Lakeland several times a week for swimming practice, and to Canada for several months out of the year, where she visits family in between traveling to competitions. She also will likely head to the National Senior Games in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, this July.
Even though she’ll be 87 this year, she’s still looking to try new things. She always wanted to take up fencing, and now that her granddaughter is trying it, she wonders if that might be a new opportunity.
The fact that she’s never done something before doesn’t deter her. Goodlad once entered a kayaking competition despite never setting foot in one. She took second place.
So if you want to try something new, her advice is to give it a shot, enjoy the journey, and don’t let a lack of experience hold you back.
“Nobody knows anything until they learn it,” Goodlad said.
Published March 11, 2015
