SCARBOROUGH, Maine — James “Chico” Hernandez of Washburn made the trip south for the annual Maine Senior Games track and field championships and came away with five medals during the meet held Sunday, July 22, at Scarborough High School.
The 64-year-old Hernandez, who serves as an assistant track and field coach and head wrestling coach at Caribou High School, earned second-place finishes in the javelin and shot put, a third in the long jump and fourth place in both the discus and 50-meter dash in the 60-64 age division.
Hernandez also has been training for a wrestling competition this fall. He plans on attending either the Mr. Olympia Sambo Championships in Las Vegas in September or the World Masters Sambo Championships in Casablanca, Morocco, in October.
“I weigh 240 pounds now and am not as fast as I used to be, but in the 50-meter dash I came in third in my heat and fourth overall,” he said. “That really surprised me after a 300-mile ride and then getting out of my car to sprint.
“That’s not easy to do at any age,” he quipped.
He said the meet was held on a wet track on a rainy day, but there was a strong turnout with competitors coming from the six New England states, as well as New York, Florida and the province of Quebec.
The mission of the Maine Senior Games, according to the organization’s website, is “to provide athletic events and wellness opportunities to improve the health and fitness of people 45 years of age and older.”
Hernandez has been involved in track and field since 1972, but is more renowned for his exploits in wrestling and martial arts at the international and national levels. He has been enshrined in 12 halls of fame, including the National AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Hall of Fame.
He said two of his biggest thrills as an athlete were being featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch cereal as an “Everyday Hero” and appearing in Sports Illustrated magazine in the “Faces in the Crowd” section.
