Sport Report

by Phil Johnson

Text: “Bodily exercise profiteth little.” — Paul of Tarsus

Motto: The real game is the game you are in.

The Illinois Railsplitters Qualify for National Senior Olympics

Our phone rang one day in July. “Hello, Phil.” The voice was familiar — out of the past. As I struggled to identify the source, he continued, “This is your old teammate, Gerry Fross.” Ah, ha. Gerry and I had played basketball together for the North Park Junior College Vikings 38 years ago, during Coach Ted Hedstrand’s inaugural season of 1956-57.

In his calm, deliberate fashion, Gerry proposed that I join the Illinois Railsplitters in Duluth for the Minnesota Senior Olympics. Four days later, we were cruising up I-35 to Duluth, talking about old friends, old times, and our own lives since we had last seen each other.

I had never heard of the Senior Olympics and, the odds are, neither have you. It takes 55 years to obtain either the necessary wisdom and or the requisite bodily deterioration for eligibility in the Senior Olympics. In fact, there are degrees or classes of eligibility: Wise, 55-59; Wiser, 60-64; and Wisest, 65 and over. The State Olympics are held annually and the National Senior Olympics, every other year. This May, San Antonio, Texas will be the scene of the Nationals.

An overtime loss in Duluth knocked the Illinois Railsplitters out of championship contention in the Minnesota Senior Olympics Basketball Tourney. Two months later, along the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, the Railsplitters lost in the championship game of the 55-59 (Wise) age bracket.

Disappointing as these loses were, there was plenty of consolation. First, playing in the Senior Olympics is a lot of fun. There is a unique, friendly spirit among the contestants, fueled, perhaps by gratitude for still being able to participate. Second, each participant receives a Senior Olympics T-Shirt, so I now have two — Minnesota and Wisconsin. Third, a second place finish in Wisconsin was sufficient to qualify the Railsplitters for the Nationals in San Antonio.

The Railsplitters approach these three-on-three, half-court contests with a thorough preparation that includes arranging for someone at each tourney to videotape our games. Watching these videos has revealed to me a sharp contrast between my inner perceptions of myself while playing — quick, tough, and smooth — and the outer appearance that gets registered on the tape — slow, large, and not quite upright. It takes a while to adjust to and accept this contrast.

Nevertheless, I made the team. I have been given two jerseys with my own number confirming my status — not only with my old teammate but also with Captain Dick Herbig and the rest of the squad. And, it is fun to contemplate the Nationals (the Railsplitters finished eighth out of more than 80 teams in 1993). However, the 1995 Nationals are scheduled for the weekend that includes Saturday May 20, the day that Pietisten’s Sport Prophet is scheduled to be married. Though we both love basketball, there have been rare moments when basketball has been sacrificed to an even higher love. This is one of those moments. I had thought about making use of some sort of virtual reality projection to be at the Senior Olympics at the same time. But, after seeing those earlier videos, I had best let things be. — PJ