Flying High at 87

Every once in a while, we run across a story that reminds us that a large part of how aging affects us has to do with how much we allow it to. Adolph Hoffman's is one of those stories, and we wanted to share it with you.

Adolph, an 87-year-old San Antonio man, competes in the Senior Olympics in the pole vault, high jump, long jump, discus, shot put, javelin, hammer throw and 100-meter and 200-meter running events. At last year's games, he won seven medals in nine events. He's currently gearing up for the 2011 games and working out alongside high school athletes.

Seventy years ago, Adolph and his brother held the state record in pole vaulting - and now he's trying to set it again. The record for his age group is eight feet, and he's regularly hitting seven and a half feet during practice. Despite his age, he's not worried about getting hurt. He points out that when he was pole vaulting in high school, the jumpers fell into sand, not cushions like they have today.

Adolph also plays softball and hardball, which he took up to "get in shape" after a triple bypass in 2001. He currently plays on a team of players 75 years old and older. Adolph's coach estimates that Adolph is the oldest guy in the league.

Just in case Adolph's Senior Olympics aspirations weren't lofty enough, he has another goal - to be the most senior player in the Senior World Series.

To read more about Adolph, click here.