There’s a pretty broad spectrum of ages. We regularly have guys on squad in their 60’s. It’s a relatively popular sport with retirees, guys with disposable income and time to enjoy a demanding hobby. If there’s a gap in attendance, it’s most likely in the “20 something” range, since the cost of competition is pretty high.

One of the guys I shoot with frequently did 52 years in the Navy. Not sure his actual age, but I’m going to say he’s at least 62, since he’s been out since I knew him, and he did 52yrs in, assuming a 17-18yr old enlistment age. If memory serves, he was 4th nationwide in the Production Division. He pulls a firewood wagon for his gear, instead of packing it, wears knee pads and puts down a shooting mat a lot, but he keeps pace. Another guy I shoot with is 77yrs old, he’s a 2x stroke survivor and cancer survivor. Both knees have been replaced, pacemaker, lost vision in one eye due to complications with diabetes. He might not win, And he might not be able to finish every stage (can’t shoot off-side portions of stages, for example), but I don’t think I have ever seen him place dead last at a match in the last 3 seasons. I shoot quite a bit with a 65yr old retired surgeon as well, and a 57yr old former jump school instructor (think he said over 12,000 jumps = 2 new knees) who wins a handful of club matches each season.

There’s movement, but it’s not a run and gun action shooting game. If a shooter can build positions in 5-10 seconds, they can compete. Speed is a part of it, because we’re on the clock, but even the older guys, with a few matches under their belt, will finish stages with ease. Might be a little slow getting up out of prone after a stage, but they tend to keep up just fine.

New guys will time out because they don’t build stable positions. Some stages are designed as “separators,” for example, 10 positions in 90 seconds - 1/3 of guys will time out and not finish, 1/3 will miss a few because they rushed, and 1/3 will shoot it just like any other stage.