#355 - We Are Terry Ten Eyck, 80 Years Old and Throwing Like A Champ, Which He Is

Most people don’t imagine octogenarians throwing shotputs, discuses, and the hammer at track meets. I have officiated enough track meets that I have seen bunches of them doing so. One is Terry Ten Eyck of Golden CO, who back in 1963 set the state shotput mark of 59’-10¾”, breaking the previous record by four feet, while throwing for Wheat Ridge H.S. He went on to briefly compete in track and football at the University of Colorado and then served for 7½ years in the Navy, including in Vietnam. After about a 50-year hiatus, Terry returned to the track and field world, competing in masters meets and winning medals, most recently winning the world indoor championship in the shotput for the 80–84-year-old age group. His favorite event is the hammer which involves spinning around and throwing an 8.8-pound (4 kg.) ball attached to a four-foot wire. He also does the seldom-seen weight throw, which requires throwing an even heavier weight with a shorter wire, ideally suited to indoor competitions. Terry and I talk a lot about field events through the ages, share some great track stories and valuable wisdom, and hopefully you’ll be inspired hearing what it’s like to train and compete at the master’s level when most his age are in their rocking chairs. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit billstahl8.substack.com