At age 82, Bob Maschal can still throw a football with a pretty good spin. He can sink a basket from any position in the round-the-world competition and he's no slouch at pounding nails.

His favorite sport is throwing the javelin, which is not included in the annual Senior Games offered at Pacific High School, but he makes the 90-minute drive from his home in Mascoutah, Ill., anyway because of the 10 to 15 games he participates in each year the Franklin County event is the best operated.

"And at Pacific High organizers are the most gracious," he said.
Maschal was one of 93 senior citizens who participated in 115 competitions in eight different sports Sept. 16 on the Pacific High School (PHS) football field.

Competitors were arranged in a dozen age groups that ranged from 50-54 to 80-plus.

Three PHS clubs - the Student Council, Health Occupations and MCJROTC - assisted a 20-member Mid-East Area Agency on Aging committee in putting on the games, registering athletes, measuring distances and doling out medals.

Maschal was wearing eight medals, five gold and three silver, when his finished the matches he registered for.

Beginning each spring, he practices three times a week at Mascoutah Elementary School to get ready for the games.

Although he was a former football player, the first time he picked up a football to throw in the Silver Games his performance was lousy, he said.

He laughs about his poor performance, saying, "What do they say? Practice makes perfect."

He hasn't always been the trim athletic competitor he is today.

When he retired from his job as a civilian explosives program manager for the Air Force in 1982, he weighed 195 pounds. He started running 50 to 60 miles a week.

"Before he retired he was gone all the time," said his wife Dorothy, who raised their four children alone while Bob was traveling.

Now she travels with him to the Silver Games competitions across Illinois and Missouri. The couple traveled to Stanford University last month for the 2009 Annual Silver Games, where Bob described his performance in the javelin throw as "terrible."

"But the guy who won did use my javelin," he said.

Of all the travels for the outdoor meets, the pair likes the trip to Pacific High School best.

"This is a good one," Dorothy said. "And they feed you good."

Becky Gillihan, who chaired the Silver Games committee for the second year, said the event is one of the most popular for MEAAA volunteers.

"I wanted to do this after seeing a Silver Games in St. Louis," Gillihan said. "It's exhilarating."

Pacific High has hosted the track and field events in the annual senior competition for the past 18 years.

"It's a great way for the school to participate in community life," said Meramec Valley School District Superintendent Randy George.