Throughout my time on this planet, the professional sporting window for a normal human being was between 18 - 32 or so. As soon as someone started to near that 30 year mark, the public and media would start to ask questions, questions based mainly on their age.

Their performance was still at a high level, their experience invaluable and their effort top shelf. But still, question marks hovered above their head because they were getting on a wee bit. Fair? Probably, this method of thinking was built upon years of evidence and so it was widely regarded as a fact of life that once you hit 30, things go down hill.

Where do we sit now? There's plenty of athletes playing in to their 30's, well in to their 30's in fact and the question now seems more about their desire and life goals than the mere fact that they hit 30.

Richie McCaw still does his job. Only he knows whether he's as fit as he was 5 years ago, so I won't make a broad judgmental statement, but he simply still does his job. As fans that's all we can ask for and the sooner we forget about saying 'but he'll be 34 by then' or something similar, the better. The question shouldn't differ from 'will he still be good enough by then?'.

With new technologies, better ways to look after your mind and body including science and nutrition, it's realistic for more players to keep playing beyond 35. Obviously we have to note the many exceptions ... wait, are they exceptions for a reason? Ryan Giggs surely would have looked after himself unlike no other while the two best boxers in the world (a sport where you take a bashing) Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins are 37 and 49 respectively. Because they're smart, they know what it takes and they don't mess around with their preparation or recovery.

Daniel Vettori has a long list of injury issues, but what's if he just puts them to bed and continues to play for the Black Caps for another 4 years? Will we keep saying 'ah but Vettori's getting on a bit isn't he?' or will we simply look at his figures and judge him on his performance?

There's something refreshing about the amount of athletes who are breaking our age related stereotypes. Life doesn't stop when you hit 30, so why should your athletic career? It seems that it's more reliant on perspective - does the athlete want to try something new or move on to the next phase of their life? Or do they just want to keep being the best athlete they can be?

We've got two great examples in our own back yard. McCaw and Dan Carter. McCaw continues to show that he's a key man for the All Blacks, he still brings the ruckus and pisses off the opponent and the ref. Job done. Carter? Well Carter hasn't shown that he can maintain his fitness nor demand selection over Aaron Cruden or Beauden Barrett. He hasn't shown any signs that he can play deep in to his 30's.

While we advocate young talent and the general power of the youth, it's as awesome as it is interesting to see how the great veterans of sport juggle their ageing bodies. Too old? That no longer exists, it's simply a case of their contribution to the team. So don't be a rude dude.