PUTTING THE BOOM IN AGING BABY BOOMERS

Oh, those boomers.

(Move cursor to the 1:45 mark for this guy’s take.)

They’ve got all the money, all the good jobs, and they won’t go away.

At least that’s the current rumor.

Even with 10,000 of them retiring everyday, how long will it take to clear them out?

Younger generations ask the question but can’t get a clean answer. For them it’s too long.

Boomers not only hang around the job market, they show up at odd places. Why can’t they just ride into the sunset quietly?

A local radio station, 1080 The Fan, held auditions recently looking for new on-air talent.

Four shows in four Buffalo Wild Wings locations brought out the best of the best, a sweet sixteen to move forward.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the man in the image above won’t be moving forward.

If this guy looks familiar, check the image on the right column of Boomerpdx.

Yes, I auditioned. And yes, it was uncomfortable, but that was the point.

The youtube video shows all the competitors. Watch and you’ll see two men with gray. One is a judge, the other is being judged.

Now aren’t we, as in boomers, at an age where being judged is in the past? If your answer is yes, and you’re a boomer, you’ve got a problem.

Not being judged means not trying. Not trying means giving up. Quitting. That never sounds right.

“Well, yeah, I would’ve won but I didn’t try.”

Ever hear that? Say that? From now on, never say it.

Boomers have an advantage over most of the population. We show up. We’re used to showing up.

Was it the marches and protests of the 60’s? Not for all. Boomers on the young end are only 50.

I was in 9th grade in 1970. Didn’t attend any sit-ins, teach-ins, or protests. Junior high school was more than enough at the time.

Maybe we show up because we know our time is running short? The end is closer than the beginning? Nope. We just like to see the quality of life in the culture we live in.

That’s the ticket. Don’t believe it? Take another look at the Woodstock Festival video. 500,000 showed up for that mud bath.

Been to a Grateful Dead show? Boomers always show up, though don’t always stay.

Where were my fellow boomers at the radio audition? Must have been in the crowd.

How did it feel being the oldest one? I’ve been the oldest at plenty of events. Pretty sure I was the oldest at Portland’s Hopworks Urban Brewery’s Bike and Beer fest where I threw a bicycle in a Huck A Husky contest. Didn’t win there either.

No bikes were thrown inside the Tualatin Wild Wings, but I was ready.

I showed up with a sports take timed to the limit of two minutes. Get it done in two minutes and become a local ESPN sports talker.

Two of the judges came from their own show, Danforth, Dirt, and Sprague  playing Monday – Friday: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.

The finals will be hosted by the stars of Primetime with Isaac and Big Suke.

Boomers, have you ever called a radio station and talked on air? Issac and Big Suke did a segment a few years back on what constitutes showing young boys how to become men.

I called with the story of how my wrestling sons and I mixed it up and I got belly to belly thrown through a wall, crashed a TV, and broke furniture. A prime time example of why we can’t have nice things, but also an example of kids stepping up the the challenges.

Isn’t that a manly endeavor, stepping up?

Part of stepping up means getting out of your comfort zone; do things you don’t ordinarily do.

Do that often enough and you’ll stay in the game. What game?

It’s called Life, so live it up.

If you don’t listen to sports talk radio, give 1080 The Fan a chance. You’ll be surprised.

Any radio station that brings people together like they did for Hunt For The Host is worth your time.

If that’s not enough, you should have heard the judges’ comments on the people on stage. They were kind and sweet and gentle.

Most of us didn’t make the cut, but no one left with hurt feelings. Not an easy task to accomplish.

And one of the sponsors, Widmer Brothers, also had commemorative glasses at each Buffalo Wild Wings location.

Beautiful parting gift to take home and fill.