September 2023 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA PR Specialist James Lewis, 68 Harvey, Illinois No one loves basketball more than James Lewis, and it has been a constant presence in his life. One testimonial to this is his induction into the Masters Basketball Association Hall of Fame. Yet, as deep as his

Bob Knight, 79 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Bob Knight has a lot of resilience and a sense of humor that will ease any situation. Ask him if he has bowled and played softball all of his life and he quickly replies, “Not yet!” The Pittsburgh area native has needed both of those qualities to overcome the many

Keryl Rustin, 74 Kearneysville, West Virginia You won’t find a more determined person than Keryl (pronounced “Curl”) Rustin. She adapted to being born visually impaired, finished school, raised three children and had a satisfying working career at a VA hospital in West Virginia. Then, at the age of 52 a rare neurological condition gradually took

Dr. Leopoldo Gracia Vilches, 64, Navojoa, Sonora Mexico Power Walk has been around for a long time as a fitness exercise but is new as a medal sport, having been introduced nationally at the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana. In the second gathering in Fort Lauderdale in 2022, it was therefore hard to know

Paula Franetti, 67 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania To see Paula Franetti mixing it up in women’s basketball competition at the National Senior Games last year, we marveled that the Pittsburgh native had worked her way back to a fully active life after a horrific car crash. In September 2016 Paula was driving to her Pittsburgh office when

Chuck DiMeglio, 62 McLean, Virginia Chuck DiMeglio admits he’s a detail-oriented guy who is driven by challenges. Like keeping records of his lifetime swims and achieving the goal of “swimming around the world” in 2022 at age 62. If you’re counting, that’s 1.75 million pool lengths to get around the globe. And Chuck loves to

Gene Berg, 70 Margaret Berg, 61 Litchfield, New Hampshire Many senior athletes travel to multiple events each year to enjoy the competition and camaraderie. Noticing a shiny Airstream travel trailer with New Hampshire plates glinting in the sun at the 2022 Georgia Golden Olympics reminded us that some go the RV route and travel in

Gary Patton, 77 Rock Rapids, Iowa Gary Patton never dreamed he would one day be an elite athlete. “I was 4 foot 11 in high school and underdeveloped. I was not athlete material at all.” Now 5’4” at the age of 76, Gary has become a tall figure in mid distance running, finding himself on

Charlotte Sanddal, 100, Helena, Montana When she first jumped into a pool to learn to swim at the age of 72, Charlotte Sanddal was only thinking about finding a way to stay healthy and active. Then when she began competing in the Montana Senior Olympics in 1994, she earned her first medal and was hooked

Doug Dvorak, 62, Donelly, Idaho  Doug Dvorak loves playing pickleball, and his passion for the game comes from a series of life challenges he says he overcame by taking up the popular sport. Speaking from a hotel room in Philadelphia, Doug demonstrates his obsession. “Guess what I have with me?” he asks. “My pickleball paddle! I