When Pino Auber was 57 years old, he decided he wanted to fully immerse himself in the sport of diving. He didn’t just learn how to enter the water headfirst from a 3-meter springboard either. He literally took it up a notch to the 10-meter platform, where now at the age of 79, he can do flips and twists as if he’s been a diver his entire life.
The Italian man from Trieste was even featured in an ad from Merck’s We100 program, which supports older generations as they pursue activities that promote healthy aging. In the spot, parents of the Turin diving team were gathered to watch their children train. As their kids were practicing, they were asked if they would like to dive as well.
“I’d like to try it, but it’s the kind of sport you have to try as a child,” and other similar “we’re too old” statements were made.
Enter Auber, who stood atop the 10-meter platform. As the group of parents looked up, many in fear, they saw him raise his arms and throw a beautiful front one-and-a-half with perfect form and very little splash.
With their jaws dropped, they applauded the dive and came to realize that maybe their preconceived notions about the ideal time to learn how to dive may be wrong. And maybe their views on aging need to be altered as well.
“It gives me the strength to live, and true joy in my life,” Auber told the group of kids following his dive. “[Diving] makes me feel like a kid again.”
The closing line in the ad is “Today we’re living longer. There’s always time for a first time.”
Auber is used to putting on a show for large crowds. Here he is at an annual diving competition at the Soca River in Kanal, Slovenia, diving from a 17-meter bridge at the age of 77.
Photo: Xinhua/Luka Dakskobler
While most of us won’t be doing that in our 70s, Auber certainly serves as a great inspiration to get out there and learn something new, no matter what year you were born.
