older recruits

[broders120]

Hey, just wondering how the older recruits were handling training? particularly being what is classically a young guys game?

[Stacka83]

How old is old?

[803troop]

The oldest guy in my troop was 32, married with kids. He handled it well but didn't last the distance.

Baz

[Ty]

I'm 25, should make the hop over when I'm 26. Hoping my body can hold up, I don't consider myself too old.

[will996]

25 is your absolute prime, very far from too old. Most athletes in most sports are generally not at their fittest and strongest until 27/28. I wouldn't worry about being too old!

[druadan]

I know a lad the wrong side of 30 was on the Hills just gone, so age isn't much of an issue!

[Ste Preece]

Hey, just wondering how the older recruits were handling training? particularly being what is classically a young guys game?

The oldest guy in my troop was 28. He was as fit as a fiddle and went onto be our King's Badgeman.

Cheers

Steve

[davidemmerson]

Fitness is part of it but older recruits can deal with the mental pressure a bit better as well. Look at the Commando prgramme, James Williams and Joe Hogan were both 24 and they passed out as originals. Compare that with the first guy to leave, he was 18? Then in the first opt out, there were one or two in there not even in their twenties. Yes, there was a 17 year old who passed as an original but it seemed the older recruits could handle the training a bit better.

For anyone who's interested, Mark Blight (22 years old and a re-join) was the Kings Badgeman in 924 Troop, was in the Globe and Laural I got from the AFCO. See, bit older and had been there before, was able to cop with the training a bit better.

David

[robbiedont]

Mentally a few years ago I KNOW I wouldn't be able to get through training, now though I KNOW I could...

[Gimpy]

I'm 26 and the bloke who's been dealing with my application at the Derby AFCO said that it's a good age to join, because you've had chance to live a bit and get some life experience but you're not so old that you're starting to drop to bits Plus by mid-20s you generally have to look after yourself (in terms of personal admin).

Mind you, I'm under no illusions- I may do all my own washing, ironing, cooking etc but I still fully expect to be run ragged if/when I make it to RT.
I forget the thread it was in but Artist posted a brief summary of what admin you're generally up against every night, and it's some scary shit!

[ofens]

I'm 29 and was the oldest in my troop until a 33 year old got back trooped into ours. Neither he or I struggle and the age difference hasn't caused me any problems - I get on well with all the lads. We have a good range, some 16s/17s, lots of 18-20s, and some mid-late 20s too.

[Shrek The Royal]

I joined at 25 and I think my age and life experience proved an asset. I was an orignal, I saw younger fitter lads fall by the roadside because they were weaker mentaly, and there were some maturitity issues as well within the troop between the younger and older members, some of them had to be gripped, our troop was always in the sh*t due to their antics!