To celebrate 70 years, Winnipeg man tries 70 different sports

Some people might see their 70th birthday as a time to reflect, kick back and slow down. But not Garry Moir.

The retired journalist saw the milestone as a chance to try something new. More specifically, to try 70 different sports in a year.

And by the time his 71st rolled around last weekend, Moir had done it: everything from skiing downhill to swimming the breaststroke; trampoline gymnastics to 10-pin bowling.

But the idea wasn't to master any of the sports, Moir said.

"Really, the only motivation was to have some fun," the former CBC broadcaster told CBC's Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Thursday.

Some of the endeavours didn't go as well as others, Moir said.

"Figure skating was probably the one where I came the closest to hurting myself," he said.

"In retrospect, it was kind of a stupid idea to try to teach yourself to figure skate off YouTube. But they made it look so easy."

Another time, a game of football with his sons ended with Moir being tackled to the ground at his own request.

"I wanted to know how a quarterback feels," he said. "And I can tell you it doesn't feel very good."

While those experiences left him with some injuries, they also gave him a whole new appreciation for the skill required to pull each move off properly, Moir said.

The list of sports Moir triedwas wide-ranging, from snowshoeing to skateboarding, horseback riding to high jumping.

And it took him and his wife, former CBC host Agatha Moir, all over the province, including trips to play pickleball in Riding Mountain National Park, climb hills in the Pembina Valley and play baseball in a beautiful facility near a cornfield south of Steinbach.

Spots like that one that were the most memorable, because of the surprise of theirdiscovery, Moir said.

"You'd never expect to find it there, because there's nothing around it," he said.

Moir said the experience gave him a few new tricks to keep up his sleeve like cross-country skiing, which he hopes to do with his family and served as a reminder that there's no end date for trying new things or staying active.

"Athleticism doesn't end at 60 or 65 or some arbitrary age."