“I hope my photographs can help challenge perceptions about ageing. The athletes I’m capturing are a real inspiration. Through seeing what they’re doing, they have the ability to make a difference to so many people.”

The day when taking up swimming at 60 or throwing the javelin at 70 isn’t seen as something extraordinary can’t come soon enough for Alex Rotas. And this photographer, writer and speaker is doing her very best to ensure it soon becomes a reality.

Working tirelessly in a bid to challenge the negative stereotypes associated with ageing, Alex travels the world telling stories of inspirational masters athletes through the lens of her camera.

How it all began

When researching a project after having returned to complete a PhD in Visual Culture in her mid 50s, Alex was surprised by the lack of representation of older sportsmen and women in digital and online media.

As a sports fanatic and active member of the masters community, Alex knew there were plenty of people enjoying active competition in later life, but there didn’t seem to be much visual evidence in the mainstream media that they were doing so. She set out to fill this gap.

In 2011 she bought her first camera and sought out a tutor. Today, she travels the world photographing masters athletes. A proud ambassador for England Athletics #RunTogether campaign and Active Ageing (Bristol), this passionate anti-ageism activist is on a mission to give masters athletes the recognition they deserve.
 

Challenging common misconceptions about ageing

Her primary motivator for promoting ‘active ageing’ is to end the common misconception that ageing inescapably entails frailty, loneliness, a narrowing of horizons and all the other negatives so often associated with getting older.

When quizzed on these assumptions, Alex said “it’s not inevitable you’re going to become frail. That was my primarily motivator for getting involved and wanting to challenge stereotypes – this notion that once you see the word ‘elderly’, you immediately associate it with words like frail, weak, doddery, passive.”

What Alex has discovered through photographing an array of masters sportsmen and women, is that the human body is capable of so much more than most people think.

“Unlike activities involving a racket or some other sort of sports item, in track and field athletics, it’s just you and your body. You get to the start line, the gun goes and you are off. Or maybe you’re competing in an event where you have to try to jump higher or further; it’s still just down to you and your body. You can’t hide behind racket or ball skills. There’s a ‘nakedness’ there. You have to be physically fit, and you have to be mentally focussed and this is what I try to document in my photographs”.

But are her photographs making a difference? Alex says she hopes that they are at least helping to do so.

“Looking at photos of these people, if you have any preconceived perceptions that associate ageing with frailty, sadness and loneliness, they can’t help but be thrown out of the window. You might be looking at people in their 90s leaping into the air doing long jump and high jump! And you’re going to see so much joy too; certainly, lots of laughter.”

An inspirational attitude

It’s not just the physicality of these athletes that inspires Alex, but also their willingness to try new activities in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

“One of the things I have seen photographing these international events is how your horizons can keep on widening throughout life, right through to 100+! Masters sportsmen and women carry on making new friends, enjoying meeting people with different nationalities, visiting different countries and yes, taking up new activities. A number of people I have met have started competing or even started a new sport or discipline at 70 and beyond; even in one case at 90+.”
 

One such athlete is 90-year-old Australian swimmer, Keith McAlpine.

All his life, Keith has been a lover of health and fitness. When his wife passed away last year, he turned to training for the Australian Masters Games as a way to keep himself mentally occupied.

His hard work paid off as he returned from the Games with 4 gold medals.

Reflecting on his experience he said, “I would say to anyone, no matter your age, if you feel like some inspiration, compete in the games. It was a beautiful experience”.

There’s more to the Masters Games than winning medals

For many competing masters athletes, it’s not necessarily about winning medals. Alex tells us that actually some of the best stories are not from medal winners.

Alex recalled the story of Barbara Tukendorf – a Polish athlete she met at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Poland in March earlier in 2019.

“Competing in the 3000m, this athlete clocked a time that was 11 minutes shy of her closest competitor. She ran round the stadium for 11 minutes alone. Yet, crossing the finish line she had a look of pure elation on her face,” Alex remembers. She could be mistaken for the world record breaker gold medallist in the image Alex captured.

This woman had battled with major surgeries and depression, as she herself revealed on her Facebook page. For her, attending her first event since her recovery, simply participating was the triumph.
 

There are clear physical benefits to ageing actively, but just as important is the positive impact it has on all aspects of wellbeing.

“You have to get active in your 40s and 50s if you’re going to stay active in your 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s” says Alex. “Staying active helps us all-round. It helps with our physical wellbeing, it helps mentally, and it helps emotionally. It’s the whole deal.”

With a can-do attitude you can do more than you think 

As Alex says, masters sport helps people take ownership of their wellbeing. It gives them a path to leading a healthy and joyful life.

To those contemplating masters sport or those who are simply considering getting moving again, Alex believes in thinking positive.

A single piece of advice to get moving and stay moving? Alex offered this…

“Focus on what you can do otherwise you’ll sit around thinking about what you can’t do.”
 

Whether you’re a passionate amateur or an ambitious athlete, Masters Games offer an opportunity to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle. 

Join the masters community and enjoy exciting competition, explore stunning locations and connect with like-minded athletes.

For more information about our next events, visit the events section of our website or follow us on social media.