Pickleball champion Myer's moniker graces more than pickleball trophies

During a dinner at the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, I met Barney Myer and his wife, Fran. The two of them split time between Surprise, Ariz., and Kenmore, Wash., and are passionate about pickleball.

Fran started Pickleballstuff.com, a business which sells pickleball gear such as paddles and balls. She met Barney playing pickleball. They were even married on a pickleball court.

They're pretty good players, too. At Huntsman, Fran won the silver medal in the mixed doubles "B" division with Dennis Duey of Seattle. Despite a balky back, which forced him to forfeit his singles and mixed doubles matches, Barney won the gold medal in men's 60-64 doubles with partner Vic Avery. "I was all hobbled over, while Vic was covering the court very well," said Barney, who plays on two artificial hips. "Every time the ball came to me, though, I was I able to hit it back."

As Masters athletes, Fran and Barney are ahead of the general population in realizing that you don't have to give up competitive sports just because you've had one too many birthdays. It's been my experience that Masters athletes think differently than other people. They also act differently than most.

Barney is proof of that. Back in 1970, as a young engineer, Barney went to Peru with a church group to help the country rebuild. When the ravaged town of Raypa asked him to build a school he figured that a school would need two things: a water pump and a rebuilt village to ensure that there would be children who would use the school.

He said that he'd go to another town, several days' journey away, and secure a water pump and architectural plans for a school that could withstand an earthquake. Reviving the village was up to them. "I told them, 'If I don't see 8,000 adobes when I get back we can just cancel the project,' " Barney said. "When I came back I didn't see 8,000 adobes. I saw 13,000 adobes."

Over the next three months 80 to 90 men in the village built the school. When it was finished, Barney left, eventually returning to the States. He made his living as an engineer and helped lay out the strategic plans for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington. Earlier this year Barney returned to Raypa.

About 35 years had passed. As he returned to the remote town with his adult son and daughter, Barney saw that the school he helped make a reality was still standing. The school had grown -- there were several additions, and it now employed 22 teachers instead of four.

None of that was a surprise. But this was: The school was named Barner Myer.

Even though one letter was off, the sentiment was right on.

Three-hour tour

In a previous issue ["It's good to have goals," GeezerJock, November 2007] I made the perhaps ill-advised boast that I could finish my first-ever Olympic-distance triathlon in less than 3 hours. On Oct. 28 I competed in the GeezerJock Masters Triathlon Championships presented by NOW Sports.

As a way of generating suspense I will say that I finished eighth in the men's 40-44 age group. Out of eight.

I'll also say that I finished the 1,500-meter swim in 30:40. My transition from swim to bike was a leisurely 8:01, during which I drank a lot of Gatorade and caught my breath. I biked 40k in 1:17:59. And, finally, I ran 5.5 miles in 51:35.

I beat my goal with almost 12 minutes to spare, crossing the finish line in 2:48:16. In retrospect, I recommend announcing your goals to as many people as possible. Fear of humiliation has a way of focusing your training.