Stephen Fishman Fisher
Problem is, when you get to be my age the resume becomes unmanageably long.
1960s: Bluegrass and touch football. Learned table tennis from World's best when they came to Expo 67 in Montreal
1970s: Golfer - amazing slugger couldn't putt. Shooting low 80s with 40 putts a round.
Discovered in 1979, my early thirties, that I was a natural Scrabble wiz. Started winning tournaments a soon as I got started. Compared to skating, just a step slower than Joey Mantilla. Beat all the reigning champions at least once, my ranking (based on a rating system virtually identical to chess) usually in the top 5 in North America, and throughout the 1980s, highest rating for sure of any Canadian born player. Toured for elite Scrabble tournaments until 1986. Played in World Championships with good result when they had the first one a few years later even though I had by then discovered
Bicycling and was out of Scrabble
Was a strong club rider and had great endurance, did lots of centuries - no real racing for speed though. (Kind of 10 or 11 handicap you might say, like I was in golf) In late 80s, early 90s, cycletoured each summer
Southern France....Northern Europe....Central Europe, Alps....North England/Scotland....Italy....Corsica
No time to try inline skating, even though it looked interesting, because cycling season went from April to October - no time to skate.
Got some inlines in the 90s and could move along pretty well on the trails.
Moved from Montreal to Toronto and was still cycling but getting around downtown on skates. Very friendly here at the time - skate into the bank or the bakery or pharmacy - no need to lock up a bike. Found an international level Chinese table tennis coach and took a bunch more lessons
Decided to adopt Holly from China in 2000, knowing my cycling career was over. Did a 100 mile ride plus regular other rides, every weekend that spring til we left for China in July, and that was it. Bought a mountain bike with a baby seat.
When in China in 1999 and again in 2000, challenged every sucker I could find to ping pong matches. I was absolutely annihilated, even if the opponent was 80 years old.
That same year I got certified as a skating instructor, at >50 yr old. I've been teaching inline skating to beginners and intermediates ever since. Got level 2 certification two years later. Got more and more into the skating community, and tried out some short track ice and then bought those Rollerblades with the green hard shell and the 5 wheels. Crossed the line first in the local charity 20km, which didn't mean anything - the town's speedskaters were marshals, not participants, but that got the juices going some. Added inline marathons, always painfully sore Bont skates, indoor inline short track to my activities.
I got pretty good, but never pro. John Altwater and I shared several podiums as advanced skaters and finished regularly close to the front of the advanced pack, I thought up the idea of the Fossils in late 2006 and luckily enlisted the greatest skaters and team-mates in the world.
The last two years, the injuries have piled up and I'm racing much less, but train my heart out for the glory of the Fossils. Each year decisions about retirement from racing are postponed til next year. Meanwhile I'm playing Bluegrass actively again on a new instrument for me, the string bass. I used to be a banjo picker, but bass playing came to me easily - within a week or two I was keeping up competently on all the songs. And every band needs one.. So my music looks like something to retire to.