The Pan-American Masters Games are in Cleveland this week and, with them, a sense of competition and camaraderie for the nearly 4,000 participating athletes. The games, for athletes aged 30 on up, bring athletes from 70 countries to participate in 23 sports.
The games are split into two age divisions: the seniors, from age 30-49 and the masters, from 50 on up. The oldest representative at the games is 98-year-old track athlete Allan Martin.
In it to win it
Paula Anderson, 71, and her friend Karen Trowbridge, 70, came from Louisiana to play in their first Pan-American Masters Games.
"We got a phone call from one of the team captains that lives in Florida, and she said, 'what are y'all doing on these dates? It's the Pan-American Games in Cleveland,'" said Anderson. "We've never been here before. So we decided, sure, let's put together a team."
Anderson and Trowbridge are competitive masters division indoor volleyball players, who play in leagues at home and say they are on the court three or more nights per week.
They had a rough go on the first day, as they were thrust into matches with teams from the 60-65 bracket due to a lack of teams in their division.
"We didn't do well with two matches today. Yeah. We played three games for each match, but we were playing the 60-year-old bracket," said Anderson, "and we got our butts handed to us, but that was okay. We had fun."
Other volleyball players at the games have played at even higher competition levels. Lori Williamson, 68, from Laguna Beach, California, played at the collegiate level, including in major volleyball tournaments like the U.S. Open.
"The top competitive teams– so, Canada, for example, often they'll bring a lot of former Olympians. Brazil's teams tend to bring former Olympians. And in the U.S. a lot of the former Olympians don't play," said Williamson.
Williamson’s team ended up taking home the gold in the 65 and up division.
"There's an opportunity for the competitive players and those who may have played college or more advanced ball to play and play against international competition. So there's there's something for everybody in the Masters," said Williamson.
Williamson and Murff's team, Lady G, is a team that plays in tournaments all over the country, not just this tournament. Paula Anderson and Karen Trowbridge's team, VB4EVER was put together for this meet. The four will meet again later this year at the Huntsman Games, a major annual masters tournament in Utah.
For the love of the game
Other athletes are at this year’s Pan-American Masters Games for less competitive reasons.
Joao Chaves is an IT analyst from Brazil who took up archery as a form of stress relief. He shared his thoughts after competing in the archery competition at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field.
Chaves competes for both health reasons and the social experience, including the opportunity to meet athletes from all over the world.
"I work in IT and it's very stressful. And I looked for something that would help me get rid of anxieties and make me calmer and focus. Archery requires that [calm and focus] a lot from the athlete," said Chaves. He came to Cleveland with his wife and two other archers from Brazil.
On Sunday, the final day of archery, Chaves and his team were swiftly eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage of competition. But they were in high spirits at the Polo Field as they watched the rest of the competition unfold. For Chaves, the experience was the win.
"There was a very interesting exchange , we made new friends. There was an American family here who invited us to dinner, so we ended up exchanging social media. So it was an opportunity to create a friendship outside of what we are used to having," said Chaves.
Myagmardorj Ganzorig is an archer from Mongolia. The 30 year old, who goes by Mike, won a silver medal in his bracket. Despite being among the youngest competitors, he views the games as more of a chance to interact with fellow archers.
"Yeah, I thought that the competition will be fun. You know, we have enjoy this time, and we are living here once, so we have to care each other, love each other. So, I thought the competition is not like that. I should win. Yeah. You know, but, we, we have friends. So then, like it goes on after competition, you know," Ganzorig said.
Ganzorig and the two other medalists shared a warm embrace on the podium as all the archers and spectators at the awards ceremony applauded.
"I will keep in touch with them. And, also, I, told them to come to next year to Taiwan. There will be a masters game in Taiwan. So Chinese Taipei. Yeah. And, I told them you should come. Let's let's have fun together, you know?" said Ganzorig with a big laugh.
Life and limb
Any athletic competition of this size and level of organization, requires medical planning and staff on hand in case of injuries. At a competition featuring septuagenarians diving for volleyballs, one might think the medical situations could be serious and frequent.
Jasmine Harper is a emergency medical technician who was working at the indoor volleyball games. She says even the oldest athletes played hard but didn’t need much in terms of medical attention.
"These are probably the most fit people in Cleveland in this age range. They’ve been playing a really long time and know how to take care of their bodies," said Harper, who is herself a former athlete, having played Division 1 college basketball at Pitt.
Harper was stationed just a short walk from the volleyball court where Karen Trowbridge's VB4EVER squad was playing against Lori Williamson's Lady G team in the semi-finals.
Trowbridge crashed to the ground a number of times diving after balls, only to roll over, briefly take a breath and then pop up resiliently.
Trowbridge was all over the court, setting up her teammates and diving for defensive stops. Her entire team played hard, but in the end, they were just overmatched.
"It would have been much better if we won, but that's the way the game goes. We play to win, of course, but we play to play our best. And if they play better than us, as long as we played our best. Feel good about it," said Trowbridge.
The Pan-American Masters Games continue through the weekend, including in basketball, karate and pickleball events still to be played. Admission to all events is free. Closing ceremonies take place Sunday morning, culminating with a 5K "race to the party" that will end up at Mall C in downtown Cleveland.
