The Wisconsin Senior Olympics, after a morning thunderstorm delay of an hour and 15 minutes, took place yesterday starting at about 9:45 a.m. at Homestead High School north of Milwaukee. No one died.
And, without hyperbole, everyone who competed had a good time. Story number one:
As I prepped for the 60-64 age group shot put, I chatted with a 90-year-old man who came up from Illinois to compete in the shot and discus. He was a former high school track and field coach and brought two of his former students, both competing in the 55-59 age bracket. How cool is that?
Both stood over 6’3” and 260 lbs. Needless to say, they dominated.
I didn’t have a shot put ball the right weight. Did that turn out to be a problem? No. Several guys stepped forward to offer me theirs.
A woman with short red hair, about 5’1’ and over 65 started talking to me. She’d never thrown the shot put before, but decided to go for it. Every time I saw her, she was smiling.
If you happen to care about results, my goal in the shot was to break 30 feet, with an outside goal of hitting 31 feet. I met the first and just missed the second. I’ll work on my technique for next time, as feedback from friends determined that I don’t use my legs enough. Sounds like my golf swing.
The long jump and triple jump pit was next to us. I’m one of those people who don’t know how people can leap and land without destroying their knees after a certain stage of life. Like after the age of 50.
But that didn’t stop these grey-haired men and women. They sprinted (if you could call it that), planted and leapt, sailing into the sand and splaying forward. Sure, it wasn’t 10 feet, but still majestic to watch the effort and desire. Man. One skinny short guy with his knee in a complicated brace hobbled down and gave it his best. Then he staggered over to the shot put area to join us. What a competitor.
Like many others, he entered multiple events. I figured this out later. We left for food, and when we returned, the track events were in full swing. You quickly saw that the guy in the knee brace was not unique.
Race after race, you heard the same woman’s name and saw one guy with a blonde ponytail and slight potbelly running around the track, taking on one event after another. The woman kept winning. The guy kept finishing last. They both kept going.
For both, I think they had some special spirit and goal -- an accomplishment they wanted to conquer. Whether it was competing in every running event, I don’t know, but there was a joy in watching them, and clapping as they sprinted or chugged along.
I can imagine them telling their grandkids, “Grandma won 7 gold medals in the Wisconsin Senior Olympics.” Or, “Grandpa competed in 7 senior Olympic running events in one day without keeling over. Isn’t that incredible.” Yes.
My 3:44 result in the 800 put me in 10th place out of 12 runners as they put three age brackets together. That time beat my prediction of 3:48, so I felt good. I knew myself pretty well, and was able to slight exceed expectations. A lot to be said for that.
As I picked up my bronze medal for the shot put, I stood in line behind a guy who’d won three gold medals. Later, I saw him on the track smoking the field in the 200. I stood still, watching this guy fly around the track, amazed at his ability, reveling in the day and his experience. The joy flowed outward and embraced us all.
And, without hyperbole, everyone who competed had a good time. Story number one:
As I prepped for the 60-64 age group shot put, I chatted with a 90-year-old man who came up from Illinois to compete in the shot and discus. He was a former high school track and field coach and brought two of his former students, both competing in the 55-59 age bracket. How cool is that?
Both stood over 6’3” and 260 lbs. Needless to say, they dominated.
I didn’t have a shot put ball the right weight. Did that turn out to be a problem? No. Several guys stepped forward to offer me theirs.
A woman with short red hair, about 5’1’ and over 65 started talking to me. She’d never thrown the shot put before, but decided to go for it. Every time I saw her, she was smiling.
If you happen to care about results, my goal in the shot was to break 30 feet, with an outside goal of hitting 31 feet. I met the first and just missed the second. I’ll work on my technique for next time, as feedback from friends determined that I don’t use my legs enough. Sounds like my golf swing.
The long jump and triple jump pit was next to us. I’m one of those people who don’t know how people can leap and land without destroying their knees after a certain stage of life. Like after the age of 50.
But that didn’t stop these grey-haired men and women. They sprinted (if you could call it that), planted and leapt, sailing into the sand and splaying forward. Sure, it wasn’t 10 feet, but still majestic to watch the effort and desire. Man. One skinny short guy with his knee in a complicated brace hobbled down and gave it his best. Then he staggered over to the shot put area to join us. What a competitor.
Like many others, he entered multiple events. I figured this out later. We left for food, and when we returned, the track events were in full swing. You quickly saw that the guy in the knee brace was not unique.
Race after race, you heard the same woman’s name and saw one guy with a blonde ponytail and slight potbelly running around the track, taking on one event after another. The woman kept winning. The guy kept finishing last. They both kept going.
For both, I think they had some special spirit and goal -- an accomplishment they wanted to conquer. Whether it was competing in every running event, I don’t know, but there was a joy in watching them, and clapping as they sprinted or chugged along.
I can imagine them telling their grandkids, “Grandma won 7 gold medals in the Wisconsin Senior Olympics.” Or, “Grandpa competed in 7 senior Olympic running events in one day without keeling over. Isn’t that incredible.” Yes.
My 3:44 result in the 800 put me in 10th place out of 12 runners as they put three age brackets together. That time beat my prediction of 3:48, so I felt good. I knew myself pretty well, and was able to slight exceed expectations. A lot to be said for that.
As I picked up my bronze medal for the shot put, I stood in line behind a guy who’d won three gold medals. Later, I saw him on the track smoking the field in the 200. I stood still, watching this guy fly around the track, amazed at his ability, reveling in the day and his experience. The joy flowed outward and embraced us all.