Why a Triad man says it’s never too late to pursue your passions
A Triad man is proof that you are never too old to do what you love. Mike Macumber has been playing ice hockey since he was 6 years old.
By Erin Burnett
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WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (WXII) — A Triad man is proof that you are never too old to do what you love.
Mike Macumber has been playing ice hockey since he was 6 years old.
He said it’s been an outlet for connection and important lessons that have kept him pushing along in life—and on the rink.
“I’ve played in eight different decades,” he said.
He’s now 72 years old and not slowing down.
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Macumber referees for Little League games, serves as captain of the Polar Beers hockey team in Winston-Salem and is a scheduler for the Triad Ice Hockey Officials Association and the Special Olympics of North Carolina.
“I can still shoot at the net. I’m one of the better passers on my team. I can pass rinkwide for two or three players and get it on the tape,” he said.
The 72-year-old said he loves connecting with hockey players and fans of all ages, including the little ones.
“The 10-year-olds, 8-year-olds, even at face off, I’ll be teaching them. I’ll take a quick second to say, you know, you gotta put your sticks this way,” he said.
A bunion on his left foot left him off the ice for the past few months – and in surgery.
“I used to do four games in a row when I was younger and now I was doing two. I cut back to one, and it was just hurting too much,” he said.
While he might have lost some precious practice time, his doctor, Dr. Snow Dawes with Novant Health, says it’s his resilience that makes him the best player and referee on the ice.
“I don’t want to see patients now in their 40s or 50s say, ‘I’m too old. I can’t keep moving,’ because he’s such an example of someone that has, like, kept going and stayed with his passion and continues to follow it,” she said.
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Macumber said the surgery went well, and he’s been back on the ice for two weeks.
While he has to take recovery day by day, he said he’s going to keep playing because he said you should never stop pursuing your passions.
“You should never think you’re going to stop learning. I hope to be living into my 90s and still learning something,” he said.
Macumber said he’s already bought a new pair of skates and plans to keep playing for at least the next year and serving as a referee for at least the next five years.
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