Green Oak Township resident Jack Hipple has accumulated quite a bit of metal in his years participating in track and field. Here, he displays his most recently acquired medals. He's earned 52 medals in the past two years alone. / Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
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Two years ago, senior citizen track and field champion Jack Hipple was "85 and still alive," and had taken home a total 714 medals from meets across the country.
Today Hipple says he's "87 and close to heaven, but not too close." In the past two years, he has added another 52 medals to his monstrous collection.
The World War II veteran and Green Oak Township resident has continued his training regimen at the track at nearby South Lyon High School. He said he continues to train and compete both to stay active, and to prove cynics wrong.
"I usually have the track to myself. That way, I stay in shape instead of like many men my age," he said.
The octogenarian athlete hardly looks different than he did two years ago. He's wearing a World War II memorial jacket and shirt, and white sneakers the day of his Daily Press & Argus interview.
This year, Hipple competed in four track and field meets, and took home 18 gold medals and five silver medals.
In June, he traveled to Hillsdale College, where he won gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes; javelin throw; shot put; and long jump in a U.S.A. Track & Field meet.
The long jump presents the greatest challenge for Hipple, as it likely would for any senior citizen. It kills some time between dashes, however.
"It's probably the hardest one I can do because I'm so afraid of falling," he conceded. "I just do that to have something to do."
Also in June, he competed in the Detroit Senior Olympics, where he took home gold medals in the 50-yard and 100-yard sprints, mile walk and softball throw. Hipple left Detroit with silver medals in the softball-hit and basketball free-throw contests.
One month earlier, he competed at a Michigan Senior Olympics competition at a Rochester high school, where he again won gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and javelin throw. He won silver medals in the shot put, long jump and discus.
In March, he won gold medals in the 60-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and the long jump at an indoor meet at Eastern Michigan University.
Today Hipple says he's "87 and close to heaven, but not too close." In the past two years, he has added another 52 medals to his monstrous collection.
The World War II veteran and Green Oak Township resident has continued his training regimen at the track at nearby South Lyon High School. He said he continues to train and compete both to stay active, and to prove cynics wrong.
"I usually have the track to myself. That way, I stay in shape instead of like many men my age," he said.
The octogenarian athlete hardly looks different than he did two years ago. He's wearing a World War II memorial jacket and shirt, and white sneakers the day of his Daily Press & Argus interview.
This year, Hipple competed in four track and field meets, and took home 18 gold medals and five silver medals.
In June, he traveled to Hillsdale College, where he won gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes; javelin throw; shot put; and long jump in a U.S.A. Track & Field meet.
The long jump presents the greatest challenge for Hipple, as it likely would for any senior citizen. It kills some time between dashes, however.
"It's probably the hardest one I can do because I'm so afraid of falling," he conceded. "I just do that to have something to do."
Also in June, he competed in the Detroit Senior Olympics, where he took home gold medals in the 50-yard and 100-yard sprints, mile walk and softball throw. Hipple left Detroit with silver medals in the softball-hit and basketball free-throw contests.
One month earlier, he competed at a Michigan Senior Olympics competition at a Rochester high school, where he again won gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and javelin throw. He won silver medals in the shot put, long jump and discus.
In March, he won gold medals in the 60-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and the long jump at an indoor meet at Eastern Michigan University.
Hipple began competing in senior-age track and field events at age 63 after retiring from Dearborn Public Schools.
Before retirement, Hipple played on a softball league, and often pinch hit for players both his age and several years his junior.
His post-retirement goal was to stay active and not fall into common pitfalls of retirement — namely a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle.
"I thought, 'Well, I can do that.' I didn't want to sit around and watch TV and go to bars and so forth," Hipple explained.
He's quick to point out he's never smoked or used illegal drugs.
Despite pride in his countless medals, Hipple isn't a braggart or unaware of his diminishing physical prowess.
His knees wore down considerably over the past two years. He wraps each in a Velcro pad before each competition.
He no longer makes treks out of state to Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Louisiana, among a host of states he previously competed in.
He stopped competing out of state when his wife, Shirley, became ill and couldn't travel with him.
He's aware his dash times have increased. His best in the 100-meter dash was once 13.99 seconds. That time increased to a best of 21 seconds last year and 22.56 seconds this year in the same contest.
"It was hard to (accept) at first, then I thought, 'Well, at least I'm doing it,' " Hipple said.
Due to her ailments, Shirley Hipple is unable to attend her husband's Michigan meets.
She said she supports his efforts wholeheartedly, however.
"There's no stress. It's no problem," Shirley Hipple said. "That he can do it, it's amazing at that age and (he's) still going."
Jack Hipple is a walking history of World War II knowledge, sharing stories, both comedic and tragic, primarily with students at local schools but also anyone who inquires.
As an ambassador of America's Greatest Generation, he tells students, "War is like 'H' 'E' double 'L,' and I hope you never have to go through it."
He entered boot camp for the U.S. Navy in 1943 in Illinois, and served primarily in the war's Pacific theater for the next three years.
He ended up in the U.S. Naval Armed Guard during World War II, and was a gunner aboard cargo ships. He served three years, and saw action primarily in the Philippines and the island of Guadalcanal.
He stays in touch with fellow servicemen at the American Legion Post 419 in Hamburg Township and at a Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter in Southfield.
He has become a supporter of Special Olympics, in part because he identifies with the challenges — albeit far different than his — those athletes face on the field.
This senior track and field season is over, but he plans to compete again once senior competition resumes.
"I want to keep going as long as I can," he said.
Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Christopher Behnan at (517) 548-7108 or at cbehnan@gannett.com.
