A former world class athlete, who competed in the Olympics twice, is still performing gravity-defying gymnastic routines at the grand old age of 84.
Age is no barrier for amazing Majorie Carter, a member of the British gymnastics squad at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy—just missing out on medals at both.
The octogenarian, who went on to have an impressive coaching career, nurturing the next generation of gymnasts, still trains three times a week—hitting the gym at 6am.
Majorie, who lives in a McCarthy & Stone retirement property just outside Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: “I still make sure I train now—I’ve never, ever stopped.
“You need to keep as healthy as you can to live longer. It’s particularly important in older people to help maintain that independence and mobility.
“As they say, ‘use it or you lose it.’”
Earliest Memories
Grandmother-of-five Majorie, who has been married to her husband Geoffrey, 87, a former photo technician, for 61 years, told how her earliest memory of gymnastics was watching a display at a local cricket field when she was around nine.
Immediately taken by the sport, she decided to give it a try and signed up for weekly classes.
“I’d go every Thursday, and took to it right away,” she said.
In time, Majorie found herself a coach—Edith Pollard, known as Carrie, who had herself competed in the 1928 Olympic games, then as Edith Pickles, where she and her team won the bronze medal.
As she progressed, Majorie began competing regularly in regional competitions, winning her first title—Yorkshire novice champion—when she was around 16.
“There wasn’t all the funding back then, like there is now, so I was also working full time in a mill to make money to travel to competitions,” she said. “I’d then train in the evenings.
“I helped to train the younger members of the club I was in, and would take them to competitions all over the country.”
Arduous Effort Pays Off
Eventually reaching the top of her game, Majorie—mum to Andrew, 56, and Elaine, 53—was selected to represent her country at the 1952 Olympics, competing in flow, beam, bars and vault events.
Before heading off to Helsinki, where the Games were held, she and her team-mates were invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth, who had only just been crowned.
Majorie recalled: “I was so excited, it was absolutely wonderful. The Queen and Prince Philip mingled and chatted with us all.
“They asked us all about our training and injuries we sustained while practising.”
Arriving in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, a short while later, Majorie said the atmosphere was electric.
She continued: “Being there was exhilarating, it was such an honour to represent my country. Those memories of the opening ceremony will last a lifetime.
“There was no funding, so we’d paid for our own uniforms, which we wore when we were out together or being interviewed.
“It was a grey skirt, white blouse, grey bag and white shoes—eight girls, eight different types of grey and styles of shoe.
“We’d had to work incredibly hard to afford to be there, so it’s wonderful to see all the funding now. It helps give that level playing field, and ensures athletes can focus on their sport.”
Stepping up to compete, Majorie recalls adrenaline coursing through her—together with a determination to show the judges what she could do.
Although her team did not make it to the medals table, she still feels immense pride at making the Games and for the support the gymnasts gave to each other.
Then, eight years later, she was selected to compete for her country once again, this time at the 1960 Games in Rome.
“We met so many incredible people there. I actually saw Muhammad Ali, who back then was known as Cassius Clay, with his gold medal,” she fondly recalled.
Having put off starting a family until after the Olympics, Majorie fell pregnant in early 1961, welcoming Andrew into the world in November of that same year.
But being a mum didn’t slow her down.
In fact, just 10 months after her son’s birth, she was competing in the British Championships, eventually placing fourth.
Three years later in October 1964, she had her daughter Elaine, moving into a coaching role for Leeds Athletic Institute shortly after.
“I was coaching part time for 16 hours a week, so it worked out well with the children,” she said.
Since then, Majorie has carved an impressive career as a coach, organising competitions, choreographing complex routines and nurturing young talent.
Some of her happiest memories are of taking her students to World Gymnaestrada events—a large-scale gymnastics exhibition held every four years, like the Olympics—where the focus is on showcasing rather than winning medals.
“As a coach, you can only get a few to the top for the Olympics,” she said. “But the gymnaestradas are a wonderful chance to perform for everybody.
“It’s organised with a real opening ceremony and it’s lovely to see the students’ faces and how thrilled they are to be there.”
Since retiring eight years ago, Majorie has still been coaching as a volunteer for 12 hours per week.
And, keen to ensure she maintains her own fitness, she continues to train and can still do handstands and the splits.
Most Inspirational Older Person
Recently, her incredible feat has been recognized by leading retirement property builders McCarthy & Stone, who, after a nationwide search, crowned her Most Inspirational Older Person 2019.
Speaking of the moment she discovered she’d won the competition, Majorie said: “I found out about the Inspirational Generation competition via a leaflet through the door, and my McCarthy & Stone house manager encouraged me to enter.
“I didn’t think I’d win, so I was absolutely overwhelmed to get that congratulations call around two weeks ago. I had to take a minute to come to terms with it all.
“It’s been a true honor, and I’ve had a really wonderful life.”
Sharon Gill from McCarthy & Stone, said: “Our Inspirational Generation campaign was focused on raising awareness of the fantastic achievements of those over 60 and how inspirational they are to the younger generation.
“We are delighted for Marjorie, as soon as we saw her entry it was clear she was an exceptionally inspirational lady. She has had a fascinating sporting career and we are delighted to see her recognised in this way, which is what she really deserves.
“Many people see old age as something to dread, and there are lots of negative stereotypes in the media about growing older. Marjorie, like many of our homeowners we see every day, is proving that age is no barrier. It’s just a number and we want to encourage more people to be inspired by Marjorie’s story, and see their retirement as an opportunity—an opportunity to live life to the fullest.”
