Question asked by Jennifer:

Is it harder for Skipper Rich to sail this race because he’s older than the other sailors?

Answer:

This is an excellent question. Truthfully, there are advantages as well as disadvantages to being older.

Physically, Skipper Rich had to prepare more for this journey because of his age. As we grow older we tend to lose strength in our muscles and our endurance declines. Endurance refers to our heart’s ability to work hard over a period of time. The younger we are, the longer our endurance when we exercise. Skipper Rich is very fit, and some of the younger sailors he is competing against may not have trained for the race as hard as Rich, relying on their youth. This could give Rich an advantage.

Another advantage he has against much younger sailors is his experience with sailing. Experience is vital to winning races, and from his years of competition Rich is at a great advantage.

I believe because he has done his physical training to the best of his ability and he has more race experience than many of his competitors, he will fare very well in this competition.