“Author Finds Athlete Within” – April 2016 Athlete of the Month
Barbara Bradley Hagerty, 56, Washington, DC You often hear how writers express the desire to be immersed in their subject, but usually it’s not taken literally. Barbara Bradley Hagerty, a best-selling author and career journalist who reported for National Public Radio from 1998 to 2014, had no idea she would competing in the 2015 National
- Published in Athlete of the Month
“Most Interesting” – March 2016 Athlete of the Month
Harold Vealey, 77, Charleston, West Virginia When the West Virginia Generals men’s 75-79 basketball team won a hard-fought gold medal in the 2015 National Senior Games presented by Humana, the players celebrated another accomplishment: four of the five teammates played for the same high school in Charleston six decades ago. Asked how it felt to
- Published in Athlete of the Month
A Legacy Honored
A Legacy Honored – Tom McAdam, 60, Greenwood Village, Colorado Whether it’s a lifelong athlete, or a person getting involved in Senior Games at a later age, a first step has to be taken to get in the game. Before that step is usually an inspiration, and families frequently provide the spark. Tom McAdam’s spark
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening – Cheryl Cherry, 67, Clermont, Florida To watch Cheryl Cherry cycle in competition, one would not believe she only took up the sport less than four years ago at age 63. But there she was, at the top of her game, winning a gold medal in the 10K and silver in the
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
Sportingly Yours
Sportingly Yours – Don Hoeppner, 85, Whitewater, Wisconsin Will Rogers famously said “I never met a man I didn’t like.” In the case of Don Hoeppner, you could say he never met a sport he didn’t like. In fact, he often writes the closing line “Sportingly Yours” in his letters and emails. The retired CPA
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can – Harold Bach, 96, Bismarck, North Dakota People have always had trouble keeping up with Harold Bach. At 96, the North Dakotan should have earned a dictionary entry under the word “active” by now. He’s pretty fast on the track too, and has been a fixture at the National Senior
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
Standing Up to MS
Standing Up to MS – Eleanor Pendergraft, 80, Johnson City, Tennessee Eight years ago, Eleanor Pendergraft pondered her fate. She had been disabled for 25 years with multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. A walker, wheelchair or motorized scooter was her only means of getting around. Her neurologist said
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
A Personal Best Life
A Personal Best Life – Tom Lough, 73, Round Rock, Texas Tom Lough is, by his own estimation, a man who does not possess special skills or talents, athletic or otherwise. How, then, does he explain a life of accomplishments that includes competing in Modern Pentathlon at age 26 in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
The Sense of Success
The Sense of Success – Marika Vorosmarty-Blumerick, 71 Shelby Township, Michigan While all Senior Games athletes strive to perform at their best, the reasons vary as to what motivates them. Some still have the burning desire to win and earn medals, while others seek to maintain health and vitality, to set goals, to measure and
- Published in 2016 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
“There’s Gratitude in My Attitude” – February 2016 Athlete of the Month
Luise Easton, 77, Olmsted Falls, Ohio Luise Easton was no stranger to the triathlon when she got the notion to give it another go in 2008. “I did them years ago, but then I had several foot surgeries. I didn’t do another one for 20 years,” the former high school physical education teacher recalls. After
- Published in Athlete of the Month



