Winnemucca’s Skip Durand traveled to four states this year to compete in the 70-74 age group of the Senior Olympics.
Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Nebraska were the sites he visited to throw the shot put, discus, javelin, football and softball.
“I just started competing two years ago,” Durand said. “It gave me something to do when I retired. I was still in pretty good shape and I saw an article in a magazine about the Senior Olympics when I was visiting family in Oregon. I thought, ‘I haven’t done that stuff since I was in High School’, so I started training.
Durand secured three golds in Oregon, five in Washington, three in Wyoming and two golds and two silvers in Nebraska.
“You can’t get a javelin here because they are outlawed in the state of Nevada," Durand said. "So I made one out of a closet rod. It was about three times as heavy as a real javelin, but it gave me the throwing motion practice.”
The national Senior Olympics will be held in Albuquerque, NM., in June of 2019 and Durand intends to compete there.
“My ultimate goal is to compete in all 50 states,” Durand said. “If I live long enough, I can get a medal in every state.”
