Dave O'Reilly is on a team as an oldie.
We're all old...
I've been thinking about this, the old "over 25, graduated, with a job and a year of freshers don't know you" qualification is too small a pool nowadays, there aren't enough people who fulfill those conditions who still kayak and turn up around the club.
If we want to be able to say we have oldies we need to redefine what they are to get a new generation of them, or else no one will think they're an oldie and the role will be lost.
Now I'd say an oldie is anyone
- past their 5th/6th year in the club (ie that's the same gap as between a secondary school first year and a 6th year)
- old enough to have memories from the year today's freshers were born (1993 and 1994)
- was in the club more before 5 years ago (2007-08, before any of the freshers, 2nd years, 3rd years or committee joined)
Other signs...the people who were oldies when you started are married with kids/have sensible careers/cars/other traits of full blown adulthood
...you don't get the club bus anymore (rivertrips/weekends away)
...are shocked by the fact that this year's freshers did their Leaving Cert in 2012
Contributing/detracting factors...being around the club in an instructing role can accelerate the track to perceived oldiehood (eg Dave O'R)
...being on committee (except as senior treasurer) can mask oldiehood (temporarily) since you're around so much