MILWAUKEE — Sun City resident John Schwan has kept a memorable pickleball season going strong.
Schwan recently won two gold medals in two Illinois Senior Olympics competition singles for age 75 plus. Illinois Senior Olympics conducts the games, offering with many sports for ages 50 and above.
Schwan won tournaments at Springfield for Illinois Sept. 14 and earlier in Milwaukee for the Wisconsin state titles.
“I was quite elated to win the gold medal in Springfield,” Schwan said. “I was behind 5-0 in the gold medal match before winning 15-7. I noticed some weaknesses in my opponents’ game.”
The gold medals qualify him for the Senior Olympics nationals next year in relatively close Des Moines, Iowa. He plans to represent Illinois. As previously reported, Schwan won the gold medal at the US Pickleball Championship held this spring.
“I entered both states’ competition to better my chances at gold,” Schwan At Wisconsin, I had to win six rounds and three at Illinois,” he said. At Wisconsin, I beat someone who played at the 4.5 skill level at nationals. I was in the 75-79 age bracket and there was some tough competition.”
Schwan noted that the Springfield area had some impact of Hurricane Francine, which led to some tournament changes.
Schwan keeps busy playing his favorite sport.
“I split my time playing pickleball at Sun City as well as Hanover Park,” Schwan said. “I train with a couple of players at both locations. We see a lot of improvement in pickleball, it’s still a relatively new sport.”
About Illinois Senior Olympics
“ISO offers quality competitions for athletes age 50 and over,” according to the ISO Facebook page. “We host over 20 events at various locations in central and northern Illinois that promote active lifestyles and create a socializing atmosphere amongst senior athletes.”
