Star athlete gets ready for Chesapeake senior games

Paul Caviness didn’t consider himself much of an athlete until he turned 67.

Then he participated in his first Senior Games and brought home three medals.

At age 84 and 491 medals later, Caviness is geared up for another week of competition in Chesapeake, which hosts the 30th Senior Games for five days starting Monday.

Events will be held at parks and recreation facilities throughout the city.

Nearly 200 participants are expected to compete, said city recreation specialist Kathryn Jessee. Miniature golf and Dominos are newly added events.

This year’s theme is “We’ve still got game,” fitting for Portsmouth resident Caviness, who belongs to the Western Branch Community Center and Western Branch Senior Citizens Club.

Caviness is entered in just about every event. His itinerary this week will have him playing mini-golf, table tennis, Dominos, horseshoes and shuffleboard, for starters. Add on throwing the shot and discus, draining free throws and hitting and throwing the softball and football. Caviness will also be long-jumping and race walking in distances of 50 meters, 100 meters and 400 meters. No bowling or pickleball.

“You can’t do everything,” he said.

Busy week, but Caviness said he’s in good enough shape to handle the load.

“I go to aerobics once a week,” he said. “I walk a mile a day and work out in my den.”

Except for what he dubbed “cow pasture ball” in his native North Carolina, Caviness rarely played sports growing up. A Navy and Coast Guard veteran, Caviness didn’t consider athletic competition until a buddy of his started picking up gold medals in the games 17 years ago.

Caviness first attempted the shot, discus and softball.

“I didn’t think I was Olympic material, but I started winning golds,” he said.

Since then he has been a regular at the Virginia State Games, amassing 63 of his medals there.

His favorite memory came at the state competition a few years back when he won one of the race walks by one second.

Twice he has gone to nationals, competing in horseshoes, his favorite event, and shuffleboard once and table tennis and walking the other time.

His reason for stockpiling events this year is simple : “I like to win.”

Vicki L. Friedman, 757-222-5218, Vicki.Friedman@pilotonline.com