Veteran Athletes : Outpatients at Sepulveda VA Medical Center Go for the Gold in Their Golden Years

In their physical prime they may not be, but these athletes are never out of training.

Day in and day out, the year round, they come to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Sepulveda to work out. They run the 50-yard dash, throw the discus and--not everybody can be Hercules--play checkers and croquet.

Officially, they’re outpatients in the VA’s rehabilitation therapy and wellness programs. In their hearts, they’re going for the gold.

Beginning next Monday, they will be testing their strength, skill, stamina and smarts against veterans their own age from across the country in the 10th Annual National Veterans Golden Age Games.

The Sepulveda VA will be sending a team of 14 to the weeklong tourney at the Jerry L. Pettis VA Medical Center in Loma Linda.

They’ll compete in six age groups, starting at 55. The events are tailored for all capacities and include bowling, eight ball and shuffleboard along with running, bicycling and swimming.

Team coach Patty Jones, a Sepulveda VA rehabilitation therapist, said her guys are psyched.

“It’s a real big deal,” Jones said.

Last year the Sepulveda VA won 31 medals, the most of any team in the competition.

Keep your eye on Steven Palmer, 73, and Don Starler, 62. They won seven medals between them last year, and both took their age group’s gold in the pentathlon.

That’s a variation of the esoteric military event that combines the five disciplines mastered by couriers in Napoleon’s army: fencing, horseback riding, shooting, running and swimming. George Patton, the future general, finished fifth in the sport when it debuted in the 1912 Olympics.

In the Golden Games, it consists of the softball hit, the 50-yard run, the discus throw, the shotput and the basketball free throw.