Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 9, 2009
State House and local sports hall of fame recognize senior athlete
David Laprad
Chattanooga resident Charlie Baker says his goal is to run the 400-meter race in as many seconds as he is years old. When asked about his age, he laughs and says, “If you’d asked me last week, I’d have said 82, but now I have to say 83.”
Not that Baker looks his age. He’s trim, agile and moves briskly, despite nursing a hamstring he pulled during a race in July. Walk with him and you’ll likely be afforded the same posterior view as most of his competitors in the Senior Olympics.
Baker has been in the spotlight this year for his athletic achievements. For example, in September, the Tennessee State House of Representatives congratulated him, by means of a House Joint Resolution, for having received the Walt Lauter Lifetime Award from the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame. Gov. Phil Bredesen was among those who signed the resolution.
“It is fitting that this General Assembly pause to specially recognize those Tennessee athletes who, through their magnificent exploits, have brought honor and distinction to this state,” the resolution reads. “One such estimable individual is Charlie Baker.”
Baker has loved track and field since his youth. After graduating from Charlotte Technical High School in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy’s Aircrew program, eventually receiving an assignment in the Philippines.
Following his discharge from the Navy, Baker continued his education at Mars Hill Junior College, where he played football and ran track, and Wake Forest University, from which he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1951. That same year, he took a position with Dupont in Seaford, Del., where he worked until the company transferred him to Chattanooga in 1967. Baker retired from Dupont in 1992.
Although Baker was a track star in high school and college, his participation in athletics waned during his working years. When he became eligible to compete in the Senior Olympics, however, his passion was rekindled.
Since then, Baker has competed in state-level Senior Olympics and Master events in every southeast state as well as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia and West Virginia. He’s also competed in the National Senior Olympics in Baton Rouge, La.; San Antonio, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Pittsburg, Pa.; and Louisville, Ky.
Baker has won hundreds of medals and set several records for his age division in various track and field events. Some of his best performances include the 2005 National Senior Olympics in Pittsburg, where he took home a bronze medal for the long jump, a fifth place ribbon for both the 200- and 400-meter dash, and an eighth place ribbon for the 800-meter.
He also competes in javelin throw, discus throw and high jump events as well as racquetball and pickleball.
Baker has never competed in a marathon, although he says that’s the first thing people ask when they find out he’s a runner. “A marathon is 26.2 miles! If my car is working, I’m not running that far,” he says.
When training, he enjoys doing sprint eights, in which he runs as fast as he can for 100 meters, then walks for 100 meters and so on until he’s covered 800 meters.
Baker also consumes healthy foods, although he says he’s not a fanatic about his diet. “I still eat ice cream once in a while, although not as much as I used to.”
He’s not trying to live to be 100, he says, just have the best possible quality of life. “A lot of people my age can’t walk 400 meters, let alone run them, so I’m thankful I’ve been blessed with good health, and I want to
keep it that way,” he says.
Baker encourages other seniors to stay in shape as well. “If you walk 100 yards a day, you’re doing better than a lot of people,” he says.
While Baker is proud of the medals he’s won, he’s derived more satisfaction from the friends he’s made at the various events to which he’s traveled. “I enjoy the fellowship and the camaraderie, especially among runners. I’ve made friends everywhere I’ve gone. It’s almost like a fraternity when you go somewhere and there’s the guy you met in Georgia.”
In addition to his athletic endeavors, Baker has contributed to his community in many ways, coaching Little League Baseball, teaching Sunday School at White Oak Baptist Church and serving on the board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in its early days, to name just a few of his efforts.
These days, however, Baker is resting and looking forward to May 2010, when the Chattanooga District Senior Olympics will take place. “I’m jogging a little now, but I’ve got all winter to heal, so I’m taking it slow,” he says. “My doctor told me it’s going to take a lot of time and patience, but I don’t have much of either one.”
Hopefully, Baker is wrong about not having much time and will be showing other seniors how it’s done for years to
come.
|
|