August 2026 Athlete of the Month
By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller
This Athlete of the Month story is brought to you by Uber, a proud supporter of the Senior Games community. Click here for a special discount on your next Uber ride.
Kari Torkelson, 56
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Basketball Shooting Skills
Photo courtesy Kari Torkelson.
Kari Torkelson has always loved to shoot baskets for the pure joy of it. “When people ask what I do to relieve stress, I tell them I just go to the basketball court and shoot hoops. It makes me feel good,” she says.
Even though she was a hall of fame player for the University of Minnesota Crookston, Kari left sports and pursued a career as an optometrist in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She continued shooting hoops for fun and relaxation, never expecting that she would one day don a jersey again and win a gold medal in the Free Throw Basketball Shooting Skills event at the National Senior Games.
After her “amazing” competition experience in Des Moines last year, Kari is now a cheerleader for the Senior Games Movement, and for reasons far beyond the shiny medal.
It wasn’t just the thrill of winning and knowing that she had just sunk 24 of 25 shots, a feat few achieved. Sharing her joy and pride of winning with her family, especially her dad, was special too. But there was something else that brought satisfaction — Kari had faced her fears and defeated them.
Being a basketball sharpshooter who became an optometrist, we were surprised to learn that Kari does not possess excellent vision. “I wore glasses and got contacts when I was 13,” she explains. “I didn’t have great vision, so I had to develop the other parts of shooting – the mechanics and the mental aspect of it.”
A Natural Talent Finds Her Way Back to Competition
Kari’s free throw talent manifested when she won her elementary school’s shooting contest and then went on to beat all the other schools in the district. “I didn’t have a basketball hoop at my house, and after I won, Dad said it was time to put one up,” she says with a laugh.
A few years later Kari found herself at the University of Minnesota Crookston playing basketball and volleyball. “Tork,” as she was known, is in their Hall of Fame as a member of the 1989-90 women’s basketball team. She assumed she was done with competitive sports until three decades later, when thoughts came up while she was watching the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“I wondered what I could still do competitively at my age, and I knew I could shoot free throws,” she says. “I Googled something like ‘senior citizens shooting baskets’ and the National Senior Games popped up. They had basketball shooting. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, they have Olympics for older people!’”
Kari put in the work to prepare for the national stage, training at her local YMCA and relying on friends at Minnesota Crookston to rebound balls. She was confident with her mechanics from years of repetition, but knew returning to the field of play would be very different mentally from shooting in an empty gym. Overcoming fear and performance anxiety was the biggest challenge she faced.
Mind Games on Game Day
“I went into the gym and these people all looked so young and athletic-looking, and I’m thinking I’m this frumpy old overweight person,” she says. Her competition was formidable and included a former WNBA player.
Kari decided not to be intimidated and felt good as the event began. Then came the competition atmosphere and the pressure of the moment. “I could hear a lot of bustling going on in the gym as I started making shots,” she recalls. “Then all of a sudden, it’s become quieter, and I could hear someone say, ‘I don’t think she’s missed a shot yet.’ I got all shaky and nervous, and then I missed shot 14. I stepped back and reorganized myself, and I got up to shot 20 and thought, ‘Just shake it off, let’s finish up,’ and I made the rest after that.”
Kari was proud to have overcome her fears, though she wished her family could have been there — especially her dad. “I got in the car and called my dad, and I think he kind of knew,” she relates. “I said, ‘I just won a gold medal,’ and he started to chuckle, maybe tearing up a little, and said, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’”
Kari and some of the new friends she made at the National Senior Games Basketball Shooting Skills competition in 2025. Photos courtesy Kari Torkelson.
A New Beginning
The experience transformed Kari. “I was so inspired by the other people that were there, and I just want to keep doing it as long as I can.” Because of a broken ankle from a bicycle accident the previous year, she didn’t have the ankle strength to enter the longer distance 3-Point Shooting competition. But she’ll be ready to take on that challenge at the 2027 National Senior Games presented by Humana in Tulsa.
She also hopes her story can be an example to others thinking about trying new things after 50. “If a short, overweight person like me can do it, you can do it,” she says flatly. “Just try not to be afraid. A lot of people aren’t willing to go do something on their own, or they might not want to walk up and say hi to somebody. Do it; that’s really opened a lot of doors for me over the years.”
Don’t let fear keep you on the sidelines. Step past the doubt today and discover a community ready to cheer you on. Find your sport.
